We’re only a month away from one of the most important annual events for our state—the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island. This year, the fair will run from August 27th through September 6th ... read more
Weekly Columns
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Countdown to the Nebraska State Fair
July 26, 2021 -
The 30 x 30 Land Grab
July 20, 2021On January 27, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. signed his “Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.” In this order, President Biden set a “goal of conserving at least 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030.” At the time of the signing, very little information was released by the Biden-Harris Administration. We only had the few paragraphs of text in the order and a short fact sheet from the Department of Interior stating “that only 12% of lands are ... read more
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Creating Opportunity for All Nebraskans
July 13, 2021Over the past year, Nebraska has been enjoying rapid growth, creating lots of great-paying job opportunities here in the Good Life. We have the second lowest unemployment rate in the nation at 2.6%. That’s the lowest rate our state has seen since 1999. Right now, we have over 40,000 jobs available on the State of Nebraska’s jobs site: NEworks.nebraska.gov. These are some of the reasons why WalletHub recently ranked Nebraska ... read more
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One Hundred Years of Communism in China
July 06, 2021As America emerges from the Fourth of July weekend, there’s another important reminder this month of why we should cherish our freedom and liberty. July marks the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). CCP officials have already been holding celebrations to paint a positive image of their work on the world stage. While the CCP pushes propaganda on the anniversary of its founding, it’s important that Americans understand how the communist regime operates.
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Nebraska Powered Through Together
June 28, 2021On March 13, 2020, I issued a proclamation declaring a State of Emergency related to the coronavirus pandemic. The State of Emergency existed over the last year to help Nebraska mobilize resources to respond to the pandemic. This is a separate measure from the State’s Directed Health Measures (DHM), which ended a few weeks ago. The DHMs had included quarantine directions and other restrictions that varied over the course of the event. This week, I announced that the State of Emergency ... read more
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Back to the Basics
June 21, 2021Martin Luther King, Jr. once famously said that “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character–that is the goal of true education.” For generations, Nebraskans have supported our public schools to do just this—to help build the next generation of educated and involved citizens in our state. To that end, our public schools have generally focused on teaching material that supports our communities, and have steered away ... read more
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Standing Up for Agriculture
June 15, 2021Since President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. was sworn into office in January, our country has seen a dramatic shift in national policy and how the federal government treats states. From tax hikes to new regulations, the Biden-Harris Administration has charted a more liberal course than the Trump Administration. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been traveling the state highlighting the threat that ... read more
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Stop the 30 x 30 Land Grab
June 08, 2021Nebraska’s farmers and ranchers share a special connection to the land and water they use to grow the food that feeds the world. They cultivate the rich soil of the Great Plains and graze cattle across the rolling Sandhills. Many families have worked the same land for generations. It’s their work ethic and stewardship that have helped make Nebraska number one in the nation for agricultural production per capita.
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An Historic Session
June 01, 2021Last week, the Legislature wrapped up one of its most productive sessions in history. With almost 700 bills under consideration, Senators and I successfully worked together to control spending growth, deliver tax relief, invest in broadband infrastructure, and expand educational opportunities among several other key priorities. Here are a few of the highlights from an historic legislative session that helped move our state forward the Nebraska way.
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Reconnecting Nebraska
May 25, 2021The coronavirus pandemic has been a long journey, but through it all Nebraskans have pulled together to keep people healthy. On March 6, 2020, Nebraska reported its first positive case of the coronavirus. Over the last 15 months, Nebraskans have made many sacrifices. We have spent time apart from each other, figured out how to manage schools and businesses, and worked hard to slow the spread of the virus to protect our hospitals.
