The settlement requires Colorado to make the payment by Dec. 31, 2018, even though state officials did not admit to any violations of the Republican River Compact. Colorado legislators must approve the funding before the deadline, or the settlement will become invalid.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper touted the settlement as a way to promote cooperation between the states. The settlement was signed by both governors, Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson and Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman.

“Nebraska and Colorado can now continue to focus on providing their water users with greater certainty and to pursue other collaborative opportunities to benefit our shared economies,” Ricketts said.

Coffman said the agreement “avoids the cost and uncertainty of litigation” and seeks to defuse some of the controversies over the river.

Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado have fought for decades over water entitlements provided under the compact. The compact has resulted in lawsuits among the states, which regulate access to the water, and from farmers who said they were cheated out of water they should have received.

The compact signed in 1943 gives Nebraska the rights to 49 percent of the river’s water, while Kansas receives 40 percent and Colorado gets 11 percent. The Republican River originates in Colorado, crosses the northwestern tip of Kansas into Nebraska, then runs through Nebraska before re-entering Kansas through its northeastern corner.

The settlement bars Nebraska from suing Colorado for alleged violations on or before Dec. 31, 2013. Both states have been complying with the compact’s terms since 2015 after Colorado officials finished several projects to augment the river. The settlement also applies to a previous settlement from 2002, which Nebraska had accused Colorado of violating.

Hickenlooper said the payment could be used in the Republican River basin in Nebraska and “creates additional opportunities for cooperative water management between the states.”

Ricketts has recommended that Nebraska lawmakers invest the settlement money in surface water conservation projects in the Republican River basin. Lawmakers have not yet taken action on his request.

Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln said Thursday that her bill would adopt the code of conduct from the American Psychiatric Association, which prevents discrimination of protected classes of people, but does not require professionals to treat patients if they lack expertise or it conflicts with their personal beliefs. The professional would have to provide an adequate referral instead.

Pansing Brooks said the bill will likely not become law, but she hopes it will bring attention to the ongoing problem. She said she hopes it will be resolved internally, but if a conclusion is not reached, she plans to call for a hearing later this year and will “not let this issue die.”

The state Board of Psychology proposed new regulations in 2008, and the following year, the Department of Health and Human Services sent the changes to the Nebraska Catholic Conference for review. Pansing Brooks said she is unsure why the religious organization was given a special review.

Officials from the Nebraska Catholic Conference called for a “conscience clause” that would allow professionals to refuse treatment or referrals to patients because of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The board refused to add the clause, saying it violated an ethics principle included in the regulations from the American Psychological Association.

Failure to adopt an anti-discriminatory policy could infringe on constitutional rights, Pansing Brooks said.

Supporters of the measure pointed to the high levels of suicide within the LGBTQ community and said mental health care is necessary. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the second leading cause of death for lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender people between the ages of 10 to 24.

Supporters also argued the existing regulations, which are 10 years old, create outdated barriers for incoming professionals that hurt recruitment and retention throughout the state.

Opponents contend that faith-based psychologists cannot in good conscience provide referrals to patients for services that go against their belief system because they don’t believe seeking care for such issues is in the patient’s best interest.

Tom Venzor, the executive director of Nebraska Catholic Conference, said professionals still treat LGBTQ individuals because it is their duty to treat them with “respect, compassion, and sensitivity.”

Professionals can treat the individuals for mental health concerns, and if the issue of sexual identity or gender is brought up as a cause of their problems, they can refer the individual to someone else who could better help them, Venzor said.

The committee took no action on the bill Thursday.