[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6304051,"mediaKeyId","2469184-98b168139850f4e81221dc078624e934","parentId",2469184,"title","State CIO proposes consolidating programs, up to 89 IT positions to cut contractor costs and boost cybersecurity and data management","audioSeconds",714,"startMs",6677000,"endMs",7391000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2469184-98b168139850f4e81221dc078624e934&start=6677&end=7391","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2469184-98b168139850f4e81221dc078624e934/thumbnail_6677000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6304051/Nebraska/State-CIO-proposes-consolidating-programs-up-to-89-IT-positions-to-cut-contractor-costs-and-boost-cybersecurity-and-data-management","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6304051-f2e3b4b5ada9874c9192fba1616c5263/orig.mp4?Expires=1771204120&Signature=NDMywSKDrsmRcW10ecshU4~jHbBcvmw~aDqLezORfpRt0Hupz2vFres-8exwcaoa49SU1UzMyccHRU2YX7EmKdPxjc4Q~9quiXdAmeEiJHD7PSZkcly5diDk29pAlMFuXwKm4eF4FmGtHR2Qbtnxr15wFp8zb-jVw84j1yVJyLO0K2G1NXbaN8rjmaCxkQIJuWtCFtc-sH1UNS4wKboa5Ii7~Rap-Uj-3qqyxgBtzPbAfZQC4LaZX2fKL0GjgrEfWv9S7UU7412i6qSyDoC8Ftgh29mqNzs2dN5AMc4oV2moITi1B8ie8Ux8CC9~4UYbf3A9hk-lS6enkKB85Y9uVA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Nebraska Legislature","date","2025-02-28T00:00:00Z","article","Matthew McCarville, Nebraska’s chief information officer, told the Appropriations Committee the Office of the CIO (OCIO) seeks to consolidate five existing budget programs into a single program to allow flexible use of revolving fund authority and to request up to 89 net new FTEs to build state capacity in cyber security, web portal development, data management and project management.

McCarville said OCIO’s current program structure dates from an earlier technological era and that uneven timing of large, centralized costs (for example, the annual Microsoft enterprise payment) can leave other program budgets temporarily short. Unifying programs into a single appropriations program would, the CIO said, permit OCIO to use available appropriations across internal functions to avoid interrupting operations when large line‑item payments fall in one quarter.

The 89 requested FTEs would be used to create an in‑house joint security operations center (JSOC), expand web portal development to reduce reliance on outside vendors, create data‑management teams to extract and clean data housed on legacy mainframes, and enlarge project management and business analysis capacity. McCarville said those hires would be used selectively to replace or reduce approximately 300 external contractors across state government where feasible and where it produces net savings.

The CIO’s testimony emphasized long‑term savings, better security posture and more usable statewide data as goals. Committee members asked how the agency would identify contractors to convert to state employment and requested more detail on expected offsets; McCarville said OCIO would provide cost comparisons and a transition plan to justify new FTEs and claimed the shift could reduce high hourly contractor costs.

No committee vote was recorded in the transcript. OCIO asked the committee to consider the consolidation and FTE authority as part of its biennial budget review and offered to provide additional financial analyses on contractor offsets.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Appropriations Committee - 2/28/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Nebraska’s chief information officer told the Appropriations Committee the Office of the CIO wants to consolidate five programs into one for fiscal flexibility, add up to 89 FTEs focused on cybersecurity, web portals, data management and project management, and reduce reliance on high‑priced contractors over time.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature NE, Nebraska","taxId",77675,"location","Nebraska","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6304054,"Oil and gas regulator, ethanol industry warn against repeal of Nebraska CO2 geologic storage statute in budget bill",443,5532000,5975000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2469184-98b168139850f4e81221dc078624e934&start=5532&end=5975","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2469184-98b168139850f4e81221dc078624e934/thumbnail_5532000.jpg","/articles/6304054/Nebraska/Oil-and-gas-regulator-ethanol-industry-warn-against-repeal-of-Nebraska-CO2-geologic-storage-statute-in-budget-bill","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6304054-5a882496b19b36b601fdbe6c04318d33/orig.mp4?Expires=1771204120&Signature=ogUWrskYDMFPEBiIR4bLwwPj879kHqGuv4jwzV2GYX~ykho~4lAzOrTtmPXwNqw-YhxXrE4xNhjl1SfFbLa95CI~wThoFyxFtxuz8A3FK5M-TXsKeeoAZn3rICwyRs0gm5Of4O2IgXh26XRD1voNfPJBp5K0EFSvpIggOaC8Xt~00jRii3krNnvagJL8miijx0jaG2iHrBV22~1JY0mt60ZAcCM0rmkex7cTO9LHeV8wgc58eKi0o3zfUgN9DRBK0BGwuip0lG8ZgbsYkx9bOx-SMmxgEuJz1gMW9-z4-iBcYB9zIpMePDdRZ0nduvNCBXFdirKtuHhP2oC8UI6gwA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Stan Belleiu, director of the Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, told the Appropriations Committee that section 136 of LB 264 removes a $75,000 General Fund line for the agency’s geologic storage of carbon dioxide program and also repeals the underlying statutes enacted as LB650 in 2021.

Belleiu said the 2021 Geologic Storage of CO2 Act created a predictable regulatory framework and that industry has already invested millions of dollars in site characterization and test wells. He described landowner engagement in western Nebraska — where Belleiu said a landowner association had contracted with a company (Tallgrass Carbon Storage was referenced in other testimony) and had hundreds of thousands of acres under lease — and noted that many landowners have received signing bonuses and that some projects have drilled wells for additional data.

Renewable Fuels Nebraska, representing ethanol plants and related agribusiness groups, urged lawmakers to preserve the statute and said repealing it would be “devastating” to ethanol producers. Dawn Caldwell, executive director of Renewable Fuels Nebraska, told the committee that Bridgeport Ethanol expects to use a test well as a permanent injection well once it receives a Class VI permit and that Tallgrass has worked with more than 300 landowners to make over 400,000 acres of pore space available and had paid nearly $10 million in lease payments, according to written comments cited in testimony.

Belleiu framed the statute as part of a predictable regulatory environment that encourages private investment and warned that repealing it after multi‑year investment would be “reactive” and undermine that predictability. He also said the agency believes the biennial appropriation level included in the budget language is otherwise appropriate for its operations but objected specifically to striking the statute and removing the $75,000 line in the funds bill as drafted.

Committee members asked staff and witnesses clarifying questions about the scope of the statute and tax credits referenced by industry witnesses; witnesses replied that federal and state tax incentives (including 45Q credits at the federal level) underpin project economics and that detailed permitting and primacy work is ongoing.

No formal committee vote was recorded in the hearing transcript. Multiple witnesses asked the Legislature to keep the statute in place and to work with the governor’s office to remove the repeal language from the funds bill while allowing the regular budgeting process to continue.","The director of the Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and renewable fuels stakeholders told the Appropriations Committee that language in LB 264 would repeal the state’s 2021 geologic CO2 storage statute and remove a $75,000 appropriation, undermining work already paid for by industry and landowners.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6304059,"Public Service Commission warns cuts to regulatory funds would impede broadband, 9‑1‑1 and gas rate proceedings",677,2696000,3373000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2469184-98b168139850f4e81221dc078624e934&start=2696&end=3373","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2469184-98b168139850f4e81221dc078624e934/thumbnail_2696000.jpg","/articles/6304059/Nebraska/Public-Service-Commission-warns-cuts-to-regulatory-funds-would-impede-broadband-911-and-gas-rate-proceedings","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6304059-20b0fc880b5984015ba7e47947dc4da8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771204120&Signature=K9IJuQVC-loAhB4lAoFNv7Ja9L759oMAJClxdPCXtNCoxpU6fsxx4pp~iMR6kwwgstBvxRhVuF0BmPr0KFTFJesLbvjKQtS7cgOx48j-YLSH3zdmEGppwIVAna-p0E3AXy78DkiIKBZQPchBgFikVo39Vyb84n1Kkdre02zgh0pyRJWDd2AqEaVnmr-w-O6aHc1AVJDeeiYkA-Bv0~J2E4WXACNzlap2Qa5D7H6eclTfF-R0pcJVJ2hSeihLXt3QyaAR-~I2S2V~4qZFHLjXPOEPzi94tpAhEmB1PwildAmkjJvIp0v7-IO7FRFl6HD9sfwlEBvP4U~utOZRFSLOHg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Deputy Director Suzanne Hinsman told the Appropriations Committee the Public Service Commission needs carryover and limited administrative funding to complete obligations under the Nebraska Broadband Bridge Program and opposed several proposed fund transfers in the Legislature’s budget bills.

Hinsman said the commission has run four cycles of Broadband Bridge grants since 2021 and awarded projects that will not finish until mid‑2026 or later. She asked the committee to preserve administrative Payroll/Salary/Lease (PSL) authority for at least six months into fiscal year 2027 to close out grants and review carrier reimbursement requests, and warned that removing out‑year PSL would make it difficult to process extensions or final payments.

Hinsman also objected to a proposed transfer of $250,000 — described in testimony as roughly one‑third of the Natural Gas Regulation Fund’s balance — into the general fund, saying the money is paid entirely by customers of two regulated utilities (Black Hills Energy and Northwestern Energy) and is dedicated to the cost of regulating those utilities, including funding the public advocate. She said an imminent full rate‑making case for Black Hills Energy will be expensive and that drawing down the fund now would force an immediate reassessment on those customers.

The commission further raised legal concerns about LB 264’s proposed permanent sweep of interest from the Nebraska Universal Service Fund (NUSF). Hinsman told the committee that the Nebraska Supreme Court’s 2006 Schumacher v. Johans decision weighed the constitutionality of temporary sweeps; the commission warned that a permanent sweep could alter the fund’s primary purpose and raise legal issues. Hinsman also voiced concern about a similar permanent sweep of State 9‑1‑1 interest, citing federal restrictions on diversion of 9‑1‑1 fees.

Industry and stakeholder witnesses amplified the commission’s arguments. Jill Becker, a registered lobbyist for Black Hills Energy, told the committee that the Natural Gas Regulation Fund’s balance is drawn down quickly in years with large regulatory proceedings and urged lawmakers not to sweep funds paid by a specific customer class into the general fund. Chris Dibbern, the Nebraska public advocate for natural gas ratepayers, said the fund functions like a reserve for the high cost of contested rate cases and that taking the money would, in effect, make customers pay twice. Tip O’Neil of the Nebraska Telecommunications Association and other witnesses urged continued state support for the Broadband Bridge Program and for the Nebraska Universal Service Fund’s interest to remain available for telecom deployments.

United Way of the Midlands testified about the 211 information‑and‑referral network, saying statute requires an annual grant from NUSF earnings to a 211 cash fund and that LB 264 should include a technical correction to preserve that transfer so the commission can comply with Nebraska Revised Statute 75‑1101(2).

No committee action or formal votes were recorded during the hearing. Commission staff and multiple industry and public‑interest witnesses asked lawmakers to preserve dedicated regulatory and program funds or to allow limited carryforward to complete obligations.","The Public Service Commission told the Appropriations Committee that proposed transfers and permanent sweeps of cash‑fund interest would impede long‑running broadband grant closeouts, public safety 9‑1‑1 operations and expensive natural‑gas rate cases; industry and the public advocate urged the committee not to sweep dedicated funds.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6304064,"Nebraska Commission for the Blind asks Legislature for $300,000 a year to expand deaf‑blind support service pilot, flags wage shortfall",531,195000,726000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2469184-98b168139850f4e81221dc078624e934&start=195&end=726","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2469184-98b168139850f4e81221dc078624e934/thumbnail_195000.jpg","/articles/6304064/Nebraska/Nebraska-Commission-for-the-Blind-asks-Legislature-for-300000-a-year-to-expand-deafblind-support-service-pilot-flags-wage-shortfall","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6304064-9f8a793185f1bf618899513a0a6365e7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771204120&Signature=mFo3ljM~-fs9paAh7V9HVoVRaN5L23dlu3aghz6XE9nsyME~-Ga~Z35rgxulmDZV12MH078jUeZs6lg6HBcHNr-VYqA2y3UBDaUsB33tEg8jGeTisRHYeCHkh4Kl1Y2--GuHwAOTebqYNMbe-1r1L~n81b10KLFbjdL9Vcewx0dzo2a-kZ2i2Hx5rUEVVLLAFxIZnsTi1z4lMof3Fgo-7q2LyF5caNbFwJ2wc628Nx-FcxVIzRKnCJD78yc1AFCWF~cZbGUDTussaySbQhsIG6K9-tUXwHQkrEXpKCtEwyXaeqQsq0GAzUqfl0lAq8t0IBs6d9x7PNhC5joggDlQ5A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Carlos Cervan, executive director of the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, told the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee that the agency is seeking $300,000 per year to expand a Support Service Provider (SSP) program for people with both severe hearing and vision loss and that recent state wage negotiations have created an additional shortfall for the agency’s general fund budget.

The SSP program assists people who are deaf‑blind by providing human guides, environmental and situational information, and interpretation services that help participants manage daily tasks, access medical care and participate in community life, Cervan said. The commission ran a pilot in Omaha in 2024 that reached capacity for 15 participants, delivering more than 800 hours of direct service, he said.

The commission described a requested annual budget of $300,000 to provide statewide SSP coverage, including training and equipment. Cervan provided a line‑item breakdown during testimony: about $130,000 for personnel costs, $20,000 for two training sessions, $87,500 for operational expenses, $35,000 for consumer equipment/technology and $27,500 for administrative costs.

The commission also told the committee it faces a separate budget gap caused by recently negotiated wage increases in the NAEP contract. Cervan said the changes create “shortfalls of $132,113 for fiscal year 2025–26 and $303,674 for the following fiscal year,” and that, as a small agency of about 46 full‑time positions (17 of which are affected by the contract increase), it has limited ability to absorb the cost.

Several current and former clients of the commission spoke in support of its budget request during the hearing, describing how vocational rehabilitation, cane training, assistive devices and independent‑living instruction helped them obtain work, travel independently and remain in their homes. Testimony included first‑hand accounts about training at the commission’s Lincoln orientation center and the agency’s role in helping blind Nebraskans use medical devices, canes, assistive technology and long‑term employment supports.

The commission characterized SSPs as a tool to reduce isolation and, the agency argued, to help avoid institutional care when combined with other services. Cervan referenced the federal Olmstead decision and state law during his remarks in arguing the state should support services that enable community living for people with severe disabilities.

No formal committee action or vote on the request occurred at the hearing. Cervan concluded by offering to answer questions from the committee; no follow‑up motions were recorded in the transcript.

Clarifying details from the hearing: the SSP pilot was based in Omaha, served up to 15 participants with up to 15 hours per participant per month, and had provided more than 800 hours of direct service at the time of testimony. The $300,000 annual request included personnel, training, operations, consumer equipment and administrative costs as itemized by Cervan. Cervan stated the agency has 46 FTEs and that 17 positions would be affected by NAEP wage increases.","The Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired told the Appropriations Committee it needs $300,000 annually to expand a successful Omaha pilot of Support Service Providers for deaf‑blind Nebraskans and asked for help filling a separate budget gap tied to recent NAEP wage increases.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

State CIO proposes consolidating programs, up to 89 IT positions to cut contractor costs and boost cybersecurity and data management

Oil and gas regulator, ethanol industry warn against repeal of Nebraska CO2 geologic storage statute in budget bill

Public Service Commission warns cuts to regulatory funds would impede broadband, 9‑1‑1 and gas rate proceedings

Nebraska Commission for the Blind asks Legislature for $300,000 a year to expand deaf‑blind support service pilot, flags wage shortfall