Last week, I was invited to attend the celebration in Madrid related to the Mid America Agri Products/Wheatland ethanol plant’s connection to the Tallgrass Trailblazer CO2 pipeline. This was the first ethanol plant to connect to the pipeline, and several more will be connected over the next several months. The late Robert (Bob) Lundeen and […]

This past week was spent attending interim study public hearings and catching up with my staff. I must say that I feel I have one of the best staffs in the Legislature. Joshua Christilear is the legal counsel for the Banking Commerce and Insurance Committee and provides necessary help in review and drafting of committee […]

I wanted to open my article this week with an update on my health status. I am happy to report that I underwent a PET scan at UNMC three weeks ago, and the results indicate that the cancer in my body is gone. Although the medication caused side effects, including balance problems that led to […]

I will be spending more time in Lincoln this week in order to take part in public hearings. The first public hearing will be held on Oct. 15, as the Executive Board will hear testimony on LR 198. The purpose of the hearing is to consider whether the Legislature should create a new standing committee […]

One of the greatest pleasures of being a state senator is having the privilege to go to work each session day on the floor of one of the most iconic buildings in the country. Although I had been to the Capitol prior to becoming a senator, I never really appreciated the intricate details of the […]

Lately, there have been a lot of rumblings about changes made to the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program and what they mean for connecting all Nebraskans to high-speed Internet. I’d like to first give a little history about where we’ve been with communications access in the state and then talk about what […]

After reading the account of the Lincoln County Commissioners’ discussions and joint public hearing regarding its budget, I felt it necessary to address the impact of LB 34 on county budgets. Passed during the 2024 special session, LB 34 (Property Tax Limitation Act) was designed to limit annual property tax increases for cities, counties, and […]

We have spent much time over the past year discussing property taxes and their impact on home affordability. Clearly, property taxes will continue to have my full attention, but there are other factors that also impact home affordability costs. One in particular is the cost of homeowner’s insurance and the rate at which premiums are […]

I have received many questions this week regarding LB 1087 (The Hospital Quality Assurance and Access Assessment Act), that I introduced in 2024. Although I have gotten the credit for passing this bill by the governor and the Nebraska Hospital Association (NHA), I remind people that it takes 25 votes to pass any bill, and […]

Julie and I enjoyed driving our 1968 Camaro in the annual Hershey Fall Festival parade. It was great seeing so many friends who attended the parade and the delicious prime rib feed following. I continue to be impressed with the organizers as to how they come together each year as they organize multi-day events to […]