Since the start of the new year, I’ve been working on solutions to some of the most consequential issues facing Nebraskans. My colleagues and I have introduced legislation related to everything from unleashing American energy to investing in our national security.
Last week was the first full week of full-day floor debates, with the addition of various scheduled late nights, ending the debate at 9:00 PM. Previously, during hearing days, we had floor debates in the mornings and hearings in the afternoon. This column will give an update on three important bills that were debated last week.
Over the past two years, consumers everywhere have felt the consequences of stifled energy production and dependence on foreign energy sources. From day one of the Biden administration, the president’s misguided energy policies have caused skyrocketing energy prices.
Those of us from rural Nebraska know there can be challenges when the closest urban center is hours away. When we need specialized medical care, this distance can be even more daunting. Medical care is essential for people in many stages of life, including expectant mothers. According to the Perinatal Data Center, many rural counties in our state have low access to obstetric, or childbirth-related, care.
Recently, Senator Fischer and I returned from an oversight visit of the southern border. We heard directly from Border Patrol personnel about the challenges they currently face and the lack of support they’ve received from the Biden administration. This disorder caused by the president’s inaction has made every state, including Nebraska, a border state.
Elementary and secondary education has earned a spotlight nationwide, especially after schools went online during the pandemic. The unique setting provided parents a firsthand look at what goes on inside classrooms.
Four years ago this month, our home of Nebraska experienced a uniquely challenging natural disaster. A severe winter storm, a bomb cyclone, caused historic levels of flooding from Nebraska rivers, resulting in the tragic loss of life as well as destruction to homes, businesses, infrastructure, and farmland.
Outdoor living is wildly popular, as more and more homeowners are bringing elements once reserved for home interiors into their backyards. When designing outdoor living spaces, homeowners may learn about biophilic design, an architectural concept that aims to incorporate natural elements into outdoor living spaces. Proponents of biophilic design say it satisfies an innate human need to affiliate with nature, thereby helping to reduce stress that people may experience after being stuck indoors for much of their days. Biophilic design is often part of a home interior design, but many homeowners also embrace it when designing their outdoor living spaces. For example, surrounding outdoor living areas with noninvasive plants, flowers and trees and using natural materials like wood and stone when building such spaces are great ways to embrace biophilic
It is Income Tax time in our land. Pretty certain that isn’t news to anyone. Indeed, I can’t say it is one of favorite times of the year. But – I have discovered this year I will be sorry to see the deadline for filing come to an end.
On Sunday March 12, 2023, I had a “Letter to the Editor” titled “What happened to Nebraska” published in the Lincoln Journal Star. In that letter, I likened present day Nebraska to that of a third world banana republic by stating, “Today, Nebraska is casting itself more and more in the image of a third world ‘Banana Republic’ as it sells its soul to a posse of corrupt, self-serving state and national oligarchs, plutocrats and grifters who are using their wealth to buy elections for a posse of indebted loyalist who legislate censorship, extreme partisanship, obstructionism and a deepening social and economic stratification at the expense of all others.” Some readers will most likely ask, “What the hell is a banana republic?” To that question, we will let Robert Longley in his November 19, 2019, article titled, “What Is a Banana Republic? Definition and Examples” answer that question for you.