Weekly Columns | Office of Governor Pete Ricketts

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Nebraska Tourism Commission

Office of Governor Pete Ricketts

Let’s Keep Growing Nebraska

November 13, 2018

Growing Nebraska has been the vision of my administration during my first four years. Whether it is achieving one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, winning awards for the most new investments among all states, or leading the nation in fiscal restraint, we have been successfully building the environment to encourage growth. Over the next four years, we have the opportunity to build on that vision. By developing our people, running government like a business, cutting taxes, ... read more
Honoring Nebraska’s Veterans

November 06, 2018

Every year, Veterans Day provides an opportunity for Americans to come together and honor the men and women who have served in our armed forces. This Veterans Day marks a special day in our country’s history: The 100^th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I. Nearly 60,000 Nebraskans served in the war and 751 lost their lives in service to our state and our country.
Government at the Speed of Business

October 30, 2018

Over the last few years, our team at the State of Nebraska has invested a great deal of time and effort in helping state government operate at the speed of business. What does that mean? We set goals to deliver better results for our customers. We measure improvement and progress. And we hold our team accountable for those results.
Lending a Helping Hand

October 23, 2018

Limited government is one of the central features of the American republic both at the state and federal level. In his farewell address, President Ronald Reagan observed, “I hope we have once again reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: As government expands, liberty contracts.”
Cutting Red Tape for Farm Families

October 16, 2018

With new technology and innovative farming techniques, modern day agriculture is more critical than ever to growing opportunities in Nebraska. Whether you work in a biotech lab, operate a combine in a field, or refinance loans at a bank, agriculture reaches into nearly every aspect of our economy, accounting for about a quarter of the jobs in Nebraska. Right now, Forbes ranks Nebraska the fourth best state for business and fourth best state for regulatory climate. Building on this ... read more
Supporting Our National Guard Troops

October 09, 2018

Since before our statehood, Nebraska’s National Guard has been a critical part of making Nebraska be the best place in the world to live, work, and raise a family. The Nebraska National Guard was founded on December 23, 1854 with the stroke of acting Territorial Governor Thomas B. Cuming’s pen on a proclamation recommending that the citizens of the new Nebraska territory organize volunteer companies of troops. Today’s Nebraska National Guard employs nearly 4,600 Soldiers, Airmen, and ... read more
Manufacturing Jobs Grow Nebraska

October 02, 2018

October is Manufacturing Month and the State of Nebraska has something big to celebrate: Job growth. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, employment growth expanded 1.7 percent year-over-year this July for the fastest growth rate since March 2012. The biggest driver behind that growth was employment in the manufacturing industry, which jumped 4.5 percent for the biggest growth rate since August 1995.
Nebraska's Back-to-Back National Championships

September 25, 2018

For two years in a row, Nebraska has been number one in the nation for new business investment. A few months ago, Site Selection magazine recognized our achievement by awarding Nebraska our second consecutive Governor’s Cup, an award they give to the state who has the most economic development projects per capita. This week, the Nebraska Department of Economic Development and I are traveling to Fremont, Blair, South Sioux City, Lincoln, Grand Island, and Holdrege to say “thank you ... read more
Celebrating 100 Years of the American Legion

September 18, 2018

This week, we kicked off a year-long celebration of the 100^th anniversary of the American Legion, which was chartered by Congress in 1919. Leaders from the American Legion joined me at a ceremony at the State Capitol to kick off the “Year of the American Legion” with an official State of Nebraska proclamation. The organization, which boasts more than 2.1 million members nationwide today, is one of our country’s preeminent veterans and community service organizations.
Strengthening the Nebraska-Japan Relationship

September 10, 2018

For several decades now, Japan has been a key partner in helping the United States achieve our strategic goals in the areas of trade and national security in the Asia-Pacific region. As a part of building the relationship between America and Japan, we have established a number of associations to help strengthen ties between the countries. This week, Nebraska has the honor of hosting the 50^th annual conference of the Midwest-U.S. Japan Association (MWJA). We are an association ... read more