On Thursday, July 25th, Governor Pillen will bring the Nebraska Legislature back to Lincoln for a special session with the important goal of taking on Nebraska’s out-of-control property taxes. From the farmer to the homeowner alike, property taxes are frequently referred to as a top, if not the top, issue that they are facing. ...

It’s well known that higher education can serve as a stepping stone to a career. As Nebraska, and especially rural Nebraska, sees a workforce shortage of important careers such as healthcare professionals and educators, higher education is quite important. But for many young Nebraskans, the price tag simply seems too high. Despite this, there are some great opportunities here in Nebraska that equip students to better take on the cost of education...

Recently, the Nebraska Legislature passed LB 1402, an appropriation bill that would allow low-income, special needs, and other students denied option enrollment the opportunity to attend a private school of their family’s choosing. LB 1402 is a slimmed-down measure compared to last year’s school choice legislation, LB 753...

On Thursday, April 18th, we hit day sixty of the Second Session of the 108th Legislature bringing the short session to the end. We passed some great legislation including protecting our farmland from potential foreign adversaries like China, strengthening of school security, investments in high-demand college programs, protections of religious freedom, and my personal priority bill, protections for minors from online pornography. ...

In the upcoming election, values matter In his 1796 farewell address, our first President George Washington said, “Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle”. In short, the very survival of our nation relies on the survival of our public faith. ...

As the chair of the Education Committee in the Nebraska Legislature, I’ve always been a major believer in public schools. I believe firmly that every K-12 aged child in our state deserves access to a well-funded, competitive, safe education. I also believe that every family has unique needs and values in which a one-size-fits-all approach may not always be best. Because of this, I also support increasing school choice in the State of Nebraska...

Recently I had the privilege to join the Governor, various leaders of Nebraska religious groups, and my fellow Senators in the tradition of declaring January 16th as Religious Freedom Day. Religious Freedom Day was first signed by proclamation by President Bush in 1993 and has continued to be proclaimed by every President each year after. President Bush chose January 16th as the date based upon Thomas Jefferson’s draft bill for Establishing Religious Freedom in Virginia...

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” — Luke 2:11. Across the state of Nebraska, the colors of the Christmas lights are gleaming across the roads. On our radios, carols of reindeer and snowmen play spreading the joy of Christmas. ...

Across the State of Nebraska, you may see the gathering of signatures to put the EPIC tax on the ballot to be decided on by the voters. The EPIC tax, or eliminate property, income, and corporate tax, provides an opportunity to completely transform Nebraska’s complicated, outdated, and broken tax system- a goal I certainly support...

During the pandemic, school closures and the transition to online or remote learning were no doubt challenges for our Nebraska students, teachers, and parents. As students logged on to their Zoom calls and worked on their online schooling, parents were often sitting side-by-side to work on their own online remote work. ...

We can all agree the climate changes. We call this the change of seasons and they happen every year, to one degree or another. We can expect cold and snow in the winter, heat and severe thunderstorms in the summer and a wider variety of weather in the spring and fall. Some things rarely change yet many whip up a frenzy when natural disasters inevitably occur...

Every parent and child in Nebraska should have the right to pick a school they believe best suits their unique situation. The Opportunity Scholarships Act passed this last session in the Legislature provides this much-needed choice for Nebraska’s children. This is long overdue in Nebraska as 48 states provide this choice for their parents and children...

Last week Margery A. Beck wrote a piece about her take on the Education Committee hearing which took place at the Capitol on Monday, July 31st. What she reported was an excellent example of the type of reality shifting we seek to make sure does not happen in our public schools. ...

The 108th Nebraska Legislature’s first session was by all accounts historic and sometimes chaotic. The continual disruptions did not deter us from accomplishing a lot for Nebraskans. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be highlighting and breaking down the bills we were able to pass and what they mean for Nebraskans, starting first with our income and property tax packages...

In November, constituents in Legislative District 38 renewed the mandate I took to Lincoln the first time: to cut property taxes, to defend our constitutional rights, to protect the life and health of the born and unborn, and to promote transparency in government...

Throughout my time in the legislature, I have heard countless stories from across Nebraska of working people being driven off of their farms and out of their homes because of the rising burden of property taxes. Working with Governor Pillen, I am proud to be the lead sponsor of LB 783, which would eliminate the property tax levy authority of community college boards...

The Nebraska Legislature is a unique institution, given its status as the country’s only unicameral and nonpartisan legislature. While there are certainly drawbacks to a unicameral system, an added benefit of our legislature gives every member a fairly equal set of responsibilities. ...

In 2021, the Nebraska Legislature adopted LB 644, titled the Property Tax Request Act and more commonly dubbed the Truth in Taxation Act. The bill requires counties to inform their citizens of an increase in property tax from the year prior of 2.0% or more. The legislation also requires the counties to hold a public hearing where citizens can ask questions, express discontent, or air grievances about any increases...

In 2021, the Nebraska Legislature adopted LB 644, titled the Property Tax Request Act and more commonly dubbed the Truth in Taxation Act. The bill requires counties to inform their citizens of an increase in property tax from the year prior of 2.0% or more. The legislation also requires the counties to hold a public hearing where citizens can ask questions, express discontent, or air grievances about any increases...

Over the last few years, communities across Legislative District 38 (LD-38) have been recognized by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development and the Nebraska Diplomats for achievements in growth, modernization, business expansion, retention, leadership, agri-business, and preparation to succeed in competitive environments. Today, I’m recognizing some of those achievements and putting the great success across our district into context...

Friends, During my time in the Nebraska Unicameral, I’ve had the opportunity to serve on the Education Committee. During this time, I’ve strongly advocated for teaching American exceptionalism in the classroom, so that students may foster an appreciation for the God-given freedoms our country protects and defends. This is largely thanks to our founders’ foresight when drafting the United States Constitution, broadly considered to be the world’s longest-surviving governing document...

This Memorial Day 2022, we honor the U.S. military personnel who have died while serving in the United States armed forces. Community observances of the holiday will be held throughout the state at local cemeteries and memorial gardens with members of local American Legion, VFW and DAV posts paying tribute to the fallen men and women who sacrificed their lives serving our country...

The National Day of Prayer Last Thursday, May 5th, was the National Day of Prayer in the United States. I had the privilege of being the sponsoring senator for the event held in the Capitol rotunda in Lincoln. The prayer gathering was sponsored by Nebraska Family Alliance. ...

Former President Barrack Obama famously said shortly after his first inauguration that “Elections have consequences”. That was true back in 2009 and it is certainly true today. Although we are not voting for a United States President this election cycle, a lot of important races will be held next Tuesday, May 10th. These will have important consequences on the national, state and local scene...

The final gavel and the adjournment of the second session of the 107th Nebraska Legislature occurred last Wednesday, April 20. The last day of a session is referred to as “Sine Die,” Latin for “without a day.” This was a sixty-day session, but it was packed full of issues, chief among them the allocation of the federal ARPA funds...

Over 40,000 acres. At this writing, that is the amount of pasture and cropland that has burned in Gosper and Furnas counties, as well as just south of the border in northern Kansas. At least eight families have lost their homes. Dozens of other structures were also destroyed. ...

As this update goes to press, the Nebraska Legislature will have completed fifty-seven days of this year’s sixty-day legislative session. Much of the focus and debate this week has been on taxes. The road to tax relief this year has been difficult and circuitous as every effort has been challenged and delayed through the filibuster process. ...

One of the committees that I’ve served on for the past four years is the Education Committee. In this legislative session the Education Committee has heard a multitude of bills addressing a wide variety of topics. This week I would like to discuss several bills that I anticipate will be debated in the remaining days of this year’s session...

After this week, the Nebraska Legislature has only fifteen working days left in this year’s sixty-day Legislative session. Most of the debate this week and next week has centered on (and will focus on) the State’s budget and how we spend the federal ARPA funds. A major component of these discussions this week has involved whether to build a new state prison and whether the state should adopt criminal justice reform measures that aim to reduce crime and recidivism...

During this second session of the 107th Legislature, I have introduced twelve bills and one proposed constitutional amendment. Additionally, I have cosponsored several other bills from other senators that I believe deserve to be debated on the legislative floor, and ultimately passed. Here are highlights of a few of those bills...

One thing that COVID-19 has highlighted is a shortage of medical personnel in rural Nebraska. The number of COVID patients put a strain on an already burdened healthcare workforce. I have introduced legislation this session to try and combat this shortage...

Cutting taxes. This is a perennial issue that most senators promise to address in the legislature. They campaign on this issue and make promises, usually with good intentions. But then, year after year, little, if anything, is accomplished. Much time on the floor this week was spent on an income tax cutting bill, LB 939. ...

This year, I have designated LB 723 as my priority bill for the session. Each senator is allowed one priority bill during each session. This bill was introduced by Senator Tom Briese of Albion, District 41. LB 1107 from 2020 created the refundable income tax credit, and as Senator Briese has stated, LB 723 intends to protect at least $173 million dollars in property tax relief in 2024 by eliminating the requirement that the available dollars be lowered to $375 million...

As 2021 draws to a close, I want to wish all of you a Happy New Year for 2022. The next session of the Nebraska Legislature will begin next Wednesday, January 5th. This will be a “short” 60-day session that is scheduled to end on April 20, 2022. A number of bills from last year that did not pass will “carry over” to this next session, and senators will have ten legislative days to introduce new bills...

Fall is here. Crisp autumn evenings, the changing of the leaves, and the mad dash to get the crops out of the field. It can’t be said often enough—there is no place like Nebraska. Some of the discussion during the recent special session on redistricting brought up what appears to be a growing divide between urban and rural areas of our state. In this frame of mind, Lincoln and everything east is considered “urban” and everything west of Lincoln is “rural”...

I think it is important to tell my constituents where I stand on Covid-19 vaccine and mask mandates. As you might imagine, I have received several calls and emails lately on this topic. There is great concern about federal overreach and the idea of being forced to do something that violates personal choice and possibly religious beliefs...