Opinion

The Nebraska Legislature is two-thirds of the way through the 2021 legislative session. Over the next several weeks, Senators will vote on a number of key bills. As they do, I encourage Nebraskans to follow the debate closely at the State Capitol.

There are quite a few corrections-centered bills on the Nebraska Legislature’s table this year. While there are some solid ideas dealing with transparency and costs of incarceration, it appears those bills will linger in committee while senators focus on a big-ticket item in the state budget.

I spent the last two weeks traveling the length of our state, meeting and talking with dozens of Nebraskans. I was so grateful for this chance to hear directly from such a wide range of people. Congress can always use more Nebraska common sense, and these conversations are one way I bring that common sense with me to Washington.

The Nebraska Constitution requires the Legislature to do only two things: meet on the first Wednesday after the first Monday in January, and pass a budget once every two years. Technically, the Legislature only has to pass this package of budget bills and nothing else. Legislatures are two years long. Much of the first session following the election is devoted to the budget. As I write this, we are in the middle of that debate right now.

Over the last four years, we have seen our trade relationships and trade agreements updated at record rates. Now with Ambassador Katherine Tai, who most recently served on the staff of the House Ways and Means Committee, sworn in as the new United States Trade Representative, it is time to hit the ground running and pick up where the previous administration left off by leveling the playing field with our trade partners, improving market access for U.S. goods, and finalizing pending free trade agreements.

The state’s cash reserve fund, caregivers, people who pay property tax and job training programs will apparently be the big winners in the $9.7 billion two-year state budget being debated by the Nebraska Legislature.

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. took office a little over two months ago. In his inaugural address, President Biden dedicated himself to “bringing America together.” In the weeks since then, he has charted a very different course. Instead of governing by building consensus, he has aggressively pushed a far-left agenda. He refused to compromise with Republicans on stimulus legislation. Instead, he signed a coronavirus spending package that bailed out Blue states at the expense of states like Nebraska that had taken a better approach to the pandemic. He has also supported corporate bullying of states that pass laws he doesn’t like. The President’s early actions have been divisive rather than unifying, and they fail to respect the rights of states in our federal system of government.

Recently I have been traveling the Good Life. As you might imagine, I always treasure these opportunities to visit with Nebraskans.

The Nebraska Department of Education has produced a school curriculum document called ‘Nebraska Health Education Standards.’ The purpose of this curriculum is to teach Nebraska’s preschool through grade twelve children.

During our time without television, Mary and I watched videos after supper and before going to bed. One was Pearl Harbor, taken before, during and after the attack by Japanese bomber and torpedo planes.