By JoAnne Young
The Lincoln Journal Star
LINCOLN, Neb. — It took a lot of debate to get to the end result, but senators advanced a bill to final reading Tuesday by a wide margin that would give post-traumatic stress treatment benefits to the state’s first responders.
The bill (LB780), sponsored by Omaha Sen. Steve Lathrop, was amended to end in 2014.
But senators rejected attempts to make the bill apply only to volunteer responders, to limit benefits to 26 weeks and to limit any resulting death benefits to under one year.
The bill would provide workers’compensation coverage for post-traumatic stress for police, firefighters and emergency medical technicians,both volunteer and paid.
Most of Tuesday’s discussion on the bill centered around its cost, even though an official estimate showed it would cost less than $8,000 a year. A number of senators indicated they didn’t believe the estimate.
As debate went on, some senators who supported the bill got more agitated.
Sen. Abbie Cornett of Bellevue, a former police officer, said Omaha Sen. John Nelson’s amendment to have the bill apply only to volunteers was one of the “least thought out"this year.
He had offered an amendment that would benefit his city to the detriment of the rest of the state, Cornett said, or because a lobbyist had written it out and handed it to him.
What happened to equity, she asked, and treating everyone with some respect?
Nelson denied anyone else had written the amendment.
“I think it’s a bona fide amendment that merits consideration,” he said.
Lincoln Sen. Danielle Conrad criticized Omaha Sen. Beau McCoy for bringing an amendment that called for compensating dependents if a first responder died within one year after a traumatic incident causing mental injury or mental illness.
Conrad took the amendment to mean McCoy was not willing to give first responders treatment for post-traumatic stress, but if they committed suicide as a result their dependents would get benefits.
“That is ludicrous,” she said."And that is offensive.”
McCoy denied his intent was to not provide treatment. He said he merely was trying to put “guard rails” on the benefit and make it more like those of other states.
Conrad was unconvinced.
“He should apologize for this to first responders,” she said.
Lathrop said very few first responders would use the benefits. For those who needed it, treatment would be cheaper for communities than not offering the treatment.
First responders are one of our communities’ most important resources, he said.
“They deserve care when they can’t get over something they have seen,” he said.
The bill advanced on a 38-5 vote.
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