Governors Columns

This week, I signed into law a series of bills, including those that will provide funding for property tax relief. The main bill, LB34, includes caps on local spending authority for cities and counties. LB34 also frontloads the Property Income Tax Credit to property tax statements.

The health of Nebraska’s economy is at stake when state senators return to Lincoln for the special legislative session I’m convening July 25. Our decades-long property tax crisis must be resolved. Not getting the job done is unacceptable.

We are winning the fight to protect unborn babies here in Nebraska. After I signed a new law last year to ban abortions after 12 weeks, elective abortions dropped nearly nine percent, marking tremendous progress toward the goal of ending abortion in Nebraska.

Over the past few weeks, Nebraskans across the state have begun receiving their property valuation notices. The common reaction to those statements can be summed up in one word -- outrage. One Nebraskan recently interviewed for a news story had the perfect reaction to the question “what goes through your head when viewing your property tax valuations?” Her response: “I can’t say that on TV.” She is not alone. Countless Nebraskans are in disbelief when they see the recent increases in their… read more

When things are at their worst, Nebraskans are at their best. It’s what makes our state the greatest in the nation – our people.

In Nebraska, we never give up on a kid. Our kids are our future. That’s why we need to do everything we can to encourage our young people to get an education, start their careers and put down roots right here in the great state of Nebraska.

When COVID-19 hit, it made sense and it was necessary, to identify a way to feed kids in need that didn’t require person-to-person interaction. The federally funded Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) was born from that era. It has now morphed into the Summer EBT program – one that front loads money onto cards for the purchase of $40 of groceries per child per month, capping at $120 per recipient.

Upon entering my first legislative session it was imperative that we tighten the state’s belt. We need to run government like a business, which means doing more with less, cutting spending and growing services. It’s vital that we invest in our future -- our kids -- and have transformative tax policy change.

Imagine for a moment what it would be like to constantly defend your livelihood against criminals who cut fences near your cattle or damaged water lines directly tied to your crop production? Would dealing with these challenges affect your role as an ag producer and steward of our land? Now, imagine learning that one of your children had been exposed to crime and human trafficking after being recruited to smuggle drugs into our country. Would this affect your role as a parent and protector… read more

On May 30, 2023, I signed LB753 into law. LB753, known as the Opportunity Scholarship Act, will provide parents the choice in which school to send their children.