Opinion

With lawmakers log-jammed inside the State Capitol during the waning days of the short 2022 legislative session, the political intrigue outside is bubbling over. State senators are trying compromise and downright bullishness to move along big ticket items favored by the Governor such as: tax cuts for corporations and the rich; a big ditch in Southwest Nebraska to take a fair share of allocated water from Colorado's stretch of the South Platte River; building an Okoboji-size lake between Lincoln and Omaha; building a new prison; and providing continuing property tax relief.

As we approach the final days of the 2022 legislative session, the Nebraska Unicameral has the opportunity to deliver smart criminal justice reforms that will enhance public safety and benefit all Nebraskans. These changes will allow us to better manage our inmate population and provide modern resources to prepare offenders for life after time served—without compromising public safety.

As we mark one month since Putin began his invasion of Ukraine, keeping America safe is our priority. In just one month, Putin has displaced millions of Ukrainians from their homes, killed thousands of innocent people, including at least 120 children, and made troubling statements about Russia’s nuclear weapons.

National Agriculture Week provides a great opportunity to recognize the strength and resiliency of Nebraska’s agriculture producers. The Third District is the nation’s leading congressional district in both total number of farms and market value of products sold. Nebraskans’ dedication and ingenuity are second to none; however, all Americans are currently facing historic inflation. Rising costs, especially when it comes to fertilizer and fuel, are hitting the agriculture community particularly hard.

It’s almost over but the shouting. What, exactly, has the 2022 Nebraska Legislature accomplished so far? While debate over equitable distribution of pandemic relief funds, tax cuts for the rich and prison reform have grabbed the headlines; lawmakers have also passed some noteworthy legislation that will impact Nebraskans for years to come.

For decades, the abortion industry has pushed the mantra that abortion is a human right. They’ve tried their best to normalize a culture of death, where the most vulnerable among us have fallen victim to the lie that one person’s so-called right to privacy trumps the right of another to life. The infamous Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade gave false credibility to their movement. But in less than four months, the Supreme Court could finally overturn Roe v. Wade.

In an era of partisanship and polarization, compromise can be hard to come by. Bills that can garner enough support to clear the U.S. Senate’s 60-vote threshold for legislation are the exception, not the norm. It is even more rare to find a bill that all 100 members of the Senate can get behind, but we recently did just that when the Senate voted unanimously to pass my Data Mapping to Save Moms’ Lives Act.

As of this date, we are on day 47 of a 60 day session. We have 13 legislative days left. Of the 593 bills introduced this session, there are 106 priority bills. If a priority bill is advanced by the committee, it is normally guaranteed to make it on the agenda. There has been a lot of filibustering going on this session, more than I have ever seen. This has wasted a great deal of time. For the first time in my six years in the Legislature there will be quite a few bills that will not make it to the agenda before we adjourn sine die. This will hurt bills on both ends of the political spectrum. With no end in sight to the ongoing filibusters, the speaker has a very tough job trying to sort out the agenda.

As war rages on the doorsteps of our NATO allies, the United States is weighing the best path forward to provide additional support to Ukraine and hold Vladimir Putin accountable. The destruction and bloodshed in Ukraine are tragic, and I was moved by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s joint address to Congress earlier this week. I was pleased when the House took action on a bill for which I’ve been advocating to revoke Russia’s trade privileges, a vote which President Biden and Democrats in Congress needlessly delayed. The world needs strong, decisive leadership from the United States, and President Zelenskyy has made it clear time is of the essence.

Is this a financial bubble or an economic boom? That’s the question lawmakers ponder as they make second-year adjustments to the state budget. Analysts seem to think it’s a bubble created by an influx of federal pandemic relief.