Senators had another long list of questions Thursday for John Wyvill on the Beatrice State Developmental Center.

Sen. Abbie Cornett of Bellevue wanted to know what it would take for residents removed from the center because they were labeled medically fragile to be re-evaluated and possibly returned.

Wyvill, director of the division for developmental disabilities for the state Department of Health and Human Services, said the medical director at BSDC would have to make the determination.

"How often is that person re-evaluated by the medical director to determine where they belong?" Cornett asked.

BSDC attorney and neuropsychologist Paul Kaufmann said such people are not being actively re-evaluated.

In one case, though, he said, a person went back to BSDC after another doctor said the resident wasn't medically fragile.

Kaufmann said families would have to initiate reviews independent of the HHS staff, but Cornett said many of them can't afford to do that.

She is also concerned others at BSDC could get sick and be removed from the campus with no way to return.

Sen. Greg Adams said he's worried BSDC is not constantly assessing hospitalized residents and responding to that.

Wyvill said the residents have conditions the staff feels will not be improving.

"If they are not getting better there," asked Sen. Steve Lathrop, "why did we send them there in the first place?"

No stimulus czar here

Massachusetts, Florida, Alabama and Ohio have stimulus "czars."

In Nebraska, there's just Gerry Oligmueller, named by the governor to coordinate Nebraska's $1.2 billion in stimulus funding. No special title.

You could call him the stimulus point man, or the stimulus coordinator. But he doesn't answer to czar.

"It's not befitting a democracy," Oligmueller says.

Some governors have appointed people who can help them with their re-election campaigns. Not in Nebraska.

Oligmueller, the governor's budget director, has crunched numbers for governors of both political parties.

In California, Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger named both a stimulus czar and a "first-in-the-nation stimulus inspector general."

"I am coming to Sacramento to deter, detect and disclose any waste, fraud and abuse of these precious stimulus dollars," Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick said when she was appointed. Not in Nebraska.

Heineman announced Oligmueller's appointment in a February news release.

Reach JoAnne Young at 473-7228 or jyoung@journalstar.com. Reach Nancy Hicks at 473-7250 or nhicks@journalstar.com.