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Committee hears narrow cleanup to align housing risk mitigation funds with substance‑use services
Summary
LB722 is a technical fix to last year’s legislation to ensure landlord risk mitigation and behavioral health housing funds explicitly cover people with substance use disorder as well as serious mental illness; supporters said it aligns statute with prior intent and requests no new appropriation.
LB722 drew largely uncontroversial support as committee members considered a focused statutory clarification to allow Nebraska’s behavioral health housing funds and the landlord risk‑mitigation program to explicitly serve people with substance use disorder.
Sen. Dan Quick described the bill as a cleanup to LB454 (passed last year) to ensure regions can use housing‑related assistance and landlord risk mitigation for individuals with substance use disorder when appropriate. Supporters said the change aligns the statute with existing policy and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s priorities.
Dr. Thomas Janousek of DHHS spoke in support and said the change would not request additional funds; it would make practice consistent with the earlier expansion of housing assistance. Regional administrators, including Patrick Kreifels (Region V), said landlord risk mitigation payments are an important tool to reassure landlords and preserve housing options for people in recovery, and that regions serve as a payer of last resort.
Committee members asked about funding sources (documentary‑stamp tax and related statutory language) and sustainability; witnesses said funds are already routed through regional authorities and the bill simply clarifies eligible uses. No significant opposition was recorded in the hearing.
If advanced, proponents said the bill would remove a statutory ambiguity that had blocked some uses of landlord risk mitigation funds for individuals with substance use disorders.
