LINCOLN - Several state senators and child advocates said Thursday they are disappointed with a plan revealed Wednesday to move youths in the state's care.

"It was an orchestrated ambush, basically, is how I would classify it," said Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth, whose district includes Geneva, the longtime home of the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center for girls.

The Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee was informed of the changes Wednesday, which will include moving girls from the Kearney and Geneva Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Centers to a new building on the Hastings Regional Center campus. Boys in a state-run substance abuse program in Hastings that were supposed to move into that building will now move to the Whitehall campus in north Lincoln.

The moves strain an already tense relationship between the Legislature and agencies under Gov. Pete Ricketts' administration.

Department of Health and Human Services CEO Dannette Smith said from Tuesday evening into Thursday, she and her team informed about 80 stakeholders about the changes to ensure complete transparency. They included legislators, city officials, judiciary and probation representatives, advocacy groups and the media.

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