LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A Democratic candidate for Nebraska lieutenant governor criticized Gov. Pete Ricketts on Tuesday for his veto of a bill she introduced as a state senator this year to expand mental health services in schools.
Sen. Lynne Walz, of Fremont, made the comments while touring the state with her new running mate, Democratic governor hopeful Bob Krist. The tour seeks to introduce Walz to voters after Krist named her as his running mate this week.
Walz said she was shocked the governor vetoed the bill because it “because it would have helped so many kids.”
“Whatever the reason, the fact remains that children that need mental health services will now be ignored or remain in the shadows because the governor said ’no,’” Walz said. “That is not Nebraska at its best.”
Ricketts, a Republican, has said he shares concerns about mental health services in schools but argued that Walz’s bill was unnecessary. The bill would have placed social workers in the state’s educational service units to help identify children who need mental and behavioral health services. The $3.6 million program would have relied on private donations for three years.
In his veto letter, Ricketts said the bill would have required the state to run a privately funded grant program. He also argued that people can already made donations to the service units.
The proposal “unnecessarily inserts the state between private funders and the political subdivision receiving those donations,” he said in the letter.
Krist still has to win Nebraska’s May 15 Democratic primary to secure the party’s nomination for governor. He is running against Democrats Vanessa Gayle Ward and Tyler Davis, both of Omaha.
On Tuesday, he praised Walz as a strong advocate for education, rural economic development and people with special needs.
“Lynn understands the problems faced by most Nebraskans in their daily lives,” Krist said. “As lieutenant governor, she will be their voices and work with me to make sure their voices are heard.”
Walz was elected to the Legislature in 2016, when she defeated then-Sen. David Schnoor, of Scribner, who was appointed to the seat by Ricketts.
Walz, a married mother of three and grandmother of three, works as a real estate agent after previous stints as a teacher. She also has been active in civic organizations in Fremont and has worked to provide services for people with disabilities.
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