Opinion

During the last legislative session, I introduced a bill to stop treating social security payments as income, and exempt them from Nebraska income tax. A similar bill was introduced by Senator Lindstrom. I chose not to pursue my bill so Senator Lindstrom could pass his LB 64. He has been introducing bills to un-tax social security since before I came to the Legislature. I felt the measure had a better chance of passing if the bill was carried by a senior senator; LB 64 passed 41-8 last May.

W A month from now, we will welcome a new year and a new Congress with a new majority. For the 118th Congress House Republicans have put forward our Commitment to America agenda.

g OVernOr The family unit plays a crucial role in shaping a child’s life. A loving home is a tremendous blessing – it’s easy for many of us to take that for granted.

Unless you’ve been out of the country or living off the grid in a cave, you probably know by now that the University of Nebraska Lincoln football team has a new head coach, Matt Rhule, who is making more money than is humanly possible to spend.

WashingtOn d.C . Public safety has rightfully been on the minds of Americans across the country.

g OVernOr As Nebraskans, we’re fortunate to live in a state where we enjoy peace, prosperity, and the blessings of liberty. As Thanksgiving was celebrated with friends and family, there are plenty of reasons to be grateful here in the Good Life.

W As many of you know, this harvest season has been a tough one for Third District farmers. Arid conditions across Nebraska contributed to an expedited harvest completion and severely diminished yields.

An extraordinary two years of revenue growth means that the next Legislature may have more than $1 billion in excess funding to use in the upcoming budget, thanks to a report to the Nebraska Tax Rate Review Committee. Once known as the “no name committee,” the group gathers annually to decide if the state should adjust tax rates.

WashingtOn d.C . Happy Thanksgiving! As Nebraskans have done for generations, we gather with family, friends, and loved ones this week to reflect on the many blessing in our lives and to share good news with one another.

I am very saddened to report that I received a call in my office this week from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announcing Nebraska Public Power District’s (NPPD’s) plan to resume the permit process necessary to build the R-Project powerline through the Sandhills.