Opinion

As Nebraskans know well, we are the beef state. We have every segment of the supply chain from cow-calf producers, to backgrounders, to large and small feed yards and also three of the four big packers in the state. The livestock industry contributes $13.8 billion to Nebraska’s economy annually. It is without a doubt the economic engine of our state.

One of the bills I was able to pass this past session was LB 843. It was an election law bill that had pieces of seven different bills amended into it. Any bill that deals with this subject is one of the hardest things to pass in the Nebraska Legislature. I don’t believe I have ever passed a bill that had this many authors.

For rural communities to survive and thrive, they need access to many of the same resources larger cities do—groceries, energy, broadband, and health care among them. To address the health care needs of rural seniors, Medicare has numerous special provisions, including a hospital category for Critical Access Hospitals (CAH)— facilities with 25 or fewer beds in communities distant from the next-closest hospital. This week I met with the Nebraska Hospital Association and the Critical Access Hospital Coalition to discuss how we can ensure Nebraskans have access to quality health care services. Nebraska’s Third District has the second most Critical Access Hospitals in this country, and my constituents rely on the care CAH facilities provide. Without CAHs, Nebraskans would not receive the same level of care.

The 2022 Legislative Session will go down in history as one of the Nebraska Unicameral’s finest. In just 60 days, the Legislature passed record tax relief, made critical public safety enhancements, and invested in generational water resource projects. As if this wasn’t enough, Senators also allocated $1.04 billion of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.

“Come writers and critics Who prophesize with your pen And keep your eyes wide The chance won't come again And don't speak too soon For the wheel's still in spin … For the times they are a-changin'” Bob Dylan’s song lyrics set the perfect tone for what lies ahead for the 2023 Nebraska Legislature. If you thought this year’s session was one of the strangest…filibuster? Did somebody say filibuster? Just wait.

Recently, Nebraska lost a good man too soon. Brad Ashford, a former state senator and U.S.

Every week I check two things at the same time; the cattle markets and the national weather service’s drought monitor. As my uncle Pat once said, “when cattle prices get higher, the Sandhills get dryer.” Senator Halloran is from near Hastings. Many of his constituents are row-crop farmers.

Lincoln – Arthritis is one of the most widespread health conditions in the United States. It affects about one in four adults, or over 58 million men and women. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. The Center for Disease Control (CDC), the Arthritis Foundation, and other partners observe the month of May as Arthritis Awareness. Approximately 345,000 Nebraskans are living with arthritis, and 2,000 are children.

Dear Editor, I feel it is time to make a change in Cherry County. I am in favor of Cherry County hiring a Cherry County Administrator and\or a fivecommissioner board.

As most Americans returned to normal, bureaucrats at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) refused to fully reopen the agency, despite heading into tax season with a backlog of more than 20 million tax returns. While this backlog has grown, calls to the IRS have also gone unanswered, leaving families and small businesses to navigate a complicated maze of red tape resulting from Democrats’ massive stimulus package on their own. Americans deserve to have their tax filings processed in a timely manner. Instead, the IRS is mired in delays. Further, economic recovery under the Biden administration is foundering, and, rather than build on successful reforms of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), Democrats are dead set on a tax and spend agenda that will only exacerbate challenges like inflation and slow wage growth.