Opinion

If this were a horse race, Nebraska lawmakers would be heading into the final stretch looking to muster more unadulterated energy than disqualified 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit. As it turns out, this promises to be more of a steeplechase in which competitors are required to jump diverse fences and ditch obstacles.

Nebraska has long been known as the Beef State and May is Beef Month, so it’s the perfect time to enjoy a delicious burger or steak. Agriculture is our state’s largest industry, and beef is the biggest segment of Nebraska agriculture.

On May 5, I held a meeting with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr in Lincoln, where he spoke with Nebraska state senators on the Unicameral’s Transportation and Telecommunications Committee and also with members of the Nebraska Public Service Commission. This was a wonderful chance for these Nebraska leaders to talk with Commissioner Carr about what’s going right in our state and about what we could be doing better.

We are in that season of every legislative session where the desire of senators to cooperate and compromise with each other is just about gone. Several really good bills have been killed because of vote-trading schemes between senators across three factions (conservatives, liberals, moderates). None of these three factions have enough votes to get anything done by themselves, so coalitions have to be built. It is this time of the session when you get to see exactly who a senator really is. It is easy to see what is important to them and what is not. The votes on the board do not lie.

Many parts of the economy in our great state of Nebraska are thriving. However, the new slate of tax increase proposals coming from the Biden Administration will undermine the success of Nebraska, and states like it, by removing capital from family farms and small businesses at a time when we need to be encouraging economic growth.

Nebraska is one of 13 states that still tax Social Security benefits. Lawmakers have given overwhelming first-round approval to a 10-year plan to phase that tax out, but with a healthy price tag when fully implemented.

Nebraska is the least indebted State in the country because our state government, like our people, lives within its means. We take a common sense approach to finances. We pay as we go for new projects instead of taking on debt. This approach has helped us to build high-quality infrastructure and to grow Nebraska without mortgaging our future.

On weekends every May, families and communities across Nebraska come together to recognize our graduating seniors. Whether they are graduating from high school, college, or trade school, this is their time to shine. They have put in the work, they have completed what they started, and now they are being recognized for their achievements and they get to celebrate.

Last week the Legislature debated Legislative Bill 364. This is a bill that promotes parents having more choices in the education of their children. Under LB 364, a limited tax credit would be authorized for people who donate money to provide scholarships to kids in poverty whose educational needs are not being met by their government school. This is especially important in those districts with failing public schools, where parents may understandably want their sons and daughters to attend a better performing private school.

Last week President Biden delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress. He began by acknowledging the success of the COVID-19 vaccine development under the previous administration while touting its rollout under his own. Getting as many Americans as possible vaccinated is a key to reopening and rebuilding the economy across our country, and we should rightfully be proud of how quickly American ingenuity led to this lifesaving development. Unfortunately, President Biden’s remarks then moved on to his so-called American Jobs Plan, his wide-ranging proposal which is being sold as an effort to rebuild our infrastructure and get Americans back to work. While I have broad concerns about the size and scope of the President’s spending plans, I am most concerned that he is working rapidly to unwind many of the accomplishments, like regulatory and tax relief, which had our economy at record highs prior to COVID-19.