Proposals for reducing property taxes, limiting local government spending growth and expanding state prisons highlighted Gov. Pete Ricketts\u2019 State of the State address Jan. 14.<\/p>\n
Ricketts praised health care professionals for treating Nebraskans throughout the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Everyone that needed an ICU bed or a ventilator has been able to access one, he said.<\/p>\n
The governor said his administration has looked for ways to expand Nebraska\u2019s economy despite tough times.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom giving licensed professionals more flexibility, to allowing restaurants to offer carryout alcohol, we looked for ways to grow our health care workforce and help small businesses survive,\u201d Ricketts said.<\/p>\n
This enabled Nebraska to have the lowest unemployment rate in the nation at 3.1 percent \u2014 a number virtually unchanged from a year ago, he said.<\/p>\n
A refundable property tax program, passed by the Legislature last year, will provide $596 million in property tax relief, but there is more work to be done, Ricketts said. He is proposing limiting the growth of local government property taxes to 3 percent.<\/p>\n
\u201cNew local spending constraints are critical to ensuring the relief we provide goes into people\u2019s pockets and to maintain local control in future years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Ricketts said the state spending growth rate would be held to 1.5 percent in his proposed two-year budget. The budget would continue to support public schools, he said, with an additional $42.7 million for K-12 education over the next two years.<\/p>\n
Saying that the current Nebraska State Penitentiary is \u201cdecaying,\u201d Ricketts advocated for a new prison. Construction of the proposed facility would cost $230 million, he said, and is scheduled to be completed in 2025.<\/p>\n
The governor also wants to make Nebraska the \u201cbest state in the nation\u201d for military members and veterans. He said he would work with senators on legislation that would:
\n\u2022 invest $50 million toward an effort to locate Space Command at Offutt Air Force Base;
\n\u2022 exempt 100 percent of military retirement income from state income tax; and
\n\u2022 ease licensure requirements for military spouses.<\/p>\n
Ricketts also said that 80,000 Nebraska households lack high-speed broadband internet service. He urged senators to support $20 million to expand broadband access.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pandemic has revealed how impossible work from home or remote education can be for those on the wrong side of the digital divide,\u201d Ricketts said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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