We were able to enact a series of important new laws in the recently completed 2012 legislative session.

We lowered the tax burden on Nebraska taxpayers, balanced the budget, made investments in K-12 and postsecondary education, reformed our child welfare system, and established new job creation initiatives.

One of our best acts was to lower the tax burden on each and every Nebraskan who pays any state income tax. I co-sponsored the bill, LB 970, which lowered rates for the first three brackets of the state income tax schedule. All brackets were also expanded, resulting in more income qualifying for lower rates. When fully implemented, a typical family will see their income tax burden lowered across the board. We still have work to do to further reduce Nebraskans’ tax burden. By growing our economy, we can provide necessary government services while reducing the tax burden.

We also made progress on limiting local occupation taxes. LB 745, another measure I co-sponsored, would prohibit cities from imposing occupation taxes beyond a certain level without specific voter approval. Local voter permission would be required before our cities and villages utilized these taxes. I think it is essential for local residents to determine how their city funds itself and LB 745 ensures that voters have the final word on these decisions and does not expand taxing authority while doing so.

State budget adjustments were made to made to invest in K-12 education and new postsecondary education opportunities.

We infused $10 million into K-12 special education funding to assist local school districts in meeting the needs of special education students. Each school district in the state will benefit from this increased state funding.

The University of Nebraska was also able to be a part of our budget adjustments. A University of Nebraska Medical Center cancer research center, the University of Nebraska – Kearney Nursing and Allied Health facility, and a new veterinary laboratory at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln were all a part of our budget package. These new investments will provide well-paying new research jobs as well as provide a group of new health care workers in critical workforce shortage areas. I am particularly pleased that all of these requests require significant matching funds by the University Foundation in order to access state funds. Accountability measures are essential to good governance.

Necessary reforms were made to Nebraska’s child welfare system through passage of a series of bills. Child welfare caseworker caseloads will be reduced. Foster family payment rates will be increased. The Nebraska Children’s Commission was created to bring the legislative, executive, and judicial branch representatives, as well as parents, providers, advocates, and foster children, together to identify shortcomings in the system and develop collaborative solutions to improve it. We must do better in ensuring the protection and safety of our most vulnerable children. I am hopeful that our reform package will lead to better outcomes for our kids.

New job creation initiatives were passed to enlarge and enhance job opportunities in Nebraska. We were able to develop incentives to encourage the development of large data centers in our state. This is a key industry in the 21st century and our Legislative District is well on its way to finishing one of the most appealing technology parks in the state. This new incentive will make our park very attractive to businesses who are entering or expanding in this sector of our economy. We also enhanced a research and development credit for technology and bioresearch companies, provided incentives for growth in the biochip industry, permitted incentives, with local approval, for new film production, and created an independent state tourism commission to expand and promote new tourism opportunities.

Good things were done in the 2012 session to lower taxes and create new jobs. We were also able to make investments in new education and health care initiatives. While the session had its setbacks, I’m pleased with some of our accomplishments and look forward to further advancing our state’s interests in the future.

I invite you to visit my senator webpage (http://news.legislature.ne.gov/dist15/ ) for further information on other 2012 legislative activities.

Please continue to share your thoughts with me on issues of interest to you. I can be reached at 402.471.2625, cjanssen@leg.ne.gov, or District 15, State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509.

The Legislature adjourned the One Hundred Second Legislature, Second Session on April 18th.

Our last day included consideration of four motions to override some of Governor Heineman’s vetoes. Two vetoes were overridden and two vetoes were sustained. I am particularly disappointed in the override that provided free state benefits to illegal aliens and the other override which authorized a local sales tax increase.

The motion to override LB 599 was contentious. This bill, as many of you may know, creates a new state benefit program for persons who are unlawfully present in our state and country. LB 599 disregarded a unanimous compromise in 2009 that prohibited state benefits to illegal aliens. That compromise was not reached without much work and negotiation to satisfy all senators at the time. The Legislature backtracked on this policy this session by offering state health care services to unauthorized persons in our state.

Lb 599 will result in Nebraska being a sanctuary for illegal aliens. Our neighboring states of Iowa, South Dakota, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, and Wyoming have chosen the wise course of not offering these free benefits. I have heard from countless Nebraskans across the state that object to the idea of spending their tax dollars on benefits that should only be provided to those truly in need of assistance and legally present in the U.S.

Thirty senators voted to override the Governor’s veto. I was not among them because I thought it was important to continue our previous policy to ensure state benefits are only provided to those who respect and follow our laws.

The Legislature also overrode the veto of LB 357. This bill permits cities to increase their local sales tax rate. The bill increases the permissible local sales tax rate up to 2 percent. We currently cap the local sales tax rate at 1.5 percent. This bill also received the bare minimum support of 30 votes to override. I did not support this bill because I think Nebraskans are already taxed enough. Cities across the state have already increased a number of local occupation taxes recently and an increase in the local sales tax rate is unwise, excessive, and unnecessary.

Another motion asked us to override the veto of LB 806. This legislation would have authorized licensed horseracing facilities in Nebraska to provide another method to conduct parimutuel wagering on horseraces through historic horsesracing machines. The motion to override failed on a vote of 28-20-1.

The final motion asked us to override the veto of LB 1020. This bill expanded the use of lottery revenues to purposes other than education. Twenty-one of my colleagues joined me in opposing this raiding of education funding for purposes beyond the scope of what the voters approved when they amended the Nebraska Constitution to permit a state lottery and distribute the proceeds to environmental and educational purposes.

Next week, I will provide a session summary of important bills that we considered in 2012.

Please continue to share your thoughts with me on issues of importance to you. I can be reached at 402.471.2625, cjanssen@leg.ne.gov, or District 15, State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509.

The Legislature will return on April 18th to complete our 60th Day. Our schedule originally called for our last day to be April 12th, but several motions to override vetoes require us to postpone adjournment until the Governor returns all of the bills passed by the Legislature that he did not approve. Our state constitution permits the Governor to take up to five days (Sundays excepted) to approve or veto bills passed by the Legislature. Some of the vetoed bills were not passed by us until April 11th.

Among the bills that he did veto include one to permit cities to raise sales taxes, another to provide free prenatal care to illegal aliens, one that would authorize horse racing tracks in Nebraska to offer betting machines that show historic horse races, and one that diverts lottery funding designated for education to other purposes.

I’d like to highlight two of those bills that were vetoed.

The first bill would authorize an increase in the sales tax. I did not support the bill (LB 357) to authorize increases in the sales tax for cities because I do not think now is the right time to increase Nebraskans’ tax burden. Most Nebraskans already pay a combined state and local sales tax rate of 7 percent. That rate is already high enough; another 1/2 percent would be piling on. We also need to remember that many cities across Nebraska have increased a number of occupation taxes recently. Fremont added a 4 percent occupation tax on hotel and lodging and a 4 percent telecommunications occupation tax less than one year ago. Omaha, Lincoln, and Grand Island also have recently added an occupation tax on their restaurants and bars. We need to live within our means and keep our income, sales, and property tax burden as low as possible. I campaigned hard on a platform of lower taxes and less government. I intend to keep my pledge to do so and oppose LB 357 and the future vote to override the Governor’s veto of the bill.

We will also be asked by the sponsor of LB 599, Lincoln Senator Kathy Campbell, to override the Governor’s veto of that bill. Senators have received a large amount of correspondence on the bill because it sets a poor precedent for state government and breaks a compromise that the Legislature reached in 2009. LB 599 would provide free prenatal care state benefits to persons who are unlawfully present in the United States. Many Nebraskans have contacted me in the last three weeks expressing deep reservations about providing free state benefits to persons that are unlawfully present in our country. The Legislature passed LB 403 three years ago to specifically prevent state benefits for these persons. LB 403 (2009) passed with an overwhelming unanimous super-majority (44-0). I’m frankly stunned that we are creating exceptions to the ban on state benefits for illegal aliens so soon after we passed the law. We should honor the compromise that was reached and avoid abandoning this necessary policy. I hope 19 of my colleagues agree with me and do not override the Governor’s veto of LB 599.

Congratulations to Bill Booth and the coalition of organizations involved in the water quality improvement project at the Fremont State Lakes for winning a competitive grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust. This cooperative project will enhance water quality at the lakes as well as improve fishing and other recreational opportunities. This is a major project made possible by revenues generated by the Nebraska lottery that are directed to the Trust. I look forward to the final product on this impressive undertaking. It will increase tourism in Dodge County and provide a more enjoyable experience at the lakes for residents and guests of our Legislative District.

Please continue to share your thoughts with me on issues of interest to you. I can be reached at 402.471.2625, cjanssen@leg.ne.gov, or District 15, State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509.

The Unicameral enters our final week of the One Hundred Second Legislature – Second Session with nearly all of our work already finished. Only a few more bills remain for Final Reading consideration. We have already passed over 150 bills. The Governor continues to use his constitutionally permitted five days (Sundays excepted) to approve or veto some of them. Our last week of work will largely consist of final consideration of a few bills and any possible veto overrides.

I’m pleased with the work we’ve done this session. Particularly satisfying was passage of income tax relief bill that will provide income tax relief for every single Nebraskan who pays any individual income taxes. We worked hard to make this tax relief fit within our overall budget. We were successful and maintained our balanced budget with a responsible reserve for future years.

Child welfare system reform was also among our highest priorities for 2012. The Legislature spent a great deal of time over the 2011 interim studying our child welfare system. We were particularly focused on shortcomings in the system and finding ways to improve in those areas. It was not easy work, and the Health and Human Services Committee produced a report for the state that is among the most comprehensive that I’ve seen in my time in the Legislature. The committee offered 18 recommendations for consideration. We were able to pass a package of bills that accomplished nearly all of the suggestions.

Among the most important ideas that were passed into law, lower case loads for front line child welfare case workers were established. Increased payment rates for Nebraska foster parents were approved. Much greater financial oversight and financial reporting requirements were mandated. The Foster Care Review Office was created and members of the oversight board are prohibited from having any financial interest in the state’s child welfare system. Other changes were also passed into law to ensure that we as a state do better for our vulnerable children.

In addition to the income tax relief legislation, we also enacted several other important economic development measures last week, including passage of the New Markets Job Growth Investment Act, putting limitations on city occupation taxes, and exempting youth sports leagues from the sales tax.

The New Markets Job Growth Investment Act provides a tax credit for investment in entities that invest in low-income community businesses. Financial institutions and insurance companies are targeted due to their high-growth possibilities and flexibility in locating in communities large and small. Nebraska is particularly strong in these economic areas due to our history, educational institutions expertise, and a favorable tax climate. The New Markets Job Growth Investment Act will encourage new or expanding businesses in this sector of our economy to locate in smaller communities and economically challenged areas of our larger cities. The Act is limited to certified entities and we capped the amount of tax credits permitted to ensure that the program achieves its intended goals.

We passed, and I co-sponsored, LB 745 to put limits on the imposition of city occupation taxes. These occupation taxes have become a favorite of late for communities large and small to raise taxes. Sometimes this was done quickly and without a lot of public input. LB 745 will require a vote of the people for new occupation taxes that exceed a certain threshold. We want cities to have flexibility to meet budgetary obligations with sources other than the property tax, but a vote of the people should be a part of that process.

We also passed LB 727 to, among other things, ensure that non-profit youth sports leagues and participants are not subject to the sales tax. We want to encourage youth participation in healthy activities and team-building experiences. Clarifying that these activities are not subject to the sales tax will provide low-income participants with more opportunities to be a part of them and permit organizations like our outstanding YMCA to offer additional support to them.

Please continue to share your thoughts with me on issues of importance to you. I can be reached at 402.471.2625, cjanssen@leg.ne.gov, or District 15, State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509.

We reached a consensus on important tax relief legislation that I co-sponsored in the 2012 legislative session.

Many senators identified tax relief as a key goal of the One Hundred Second Legislature, Second Session. Bills were introduced in January to reduce taxes across the span of taxes that are assessed in Nebraska.

The Revenue Committee received input from many Nebraskans during the public hearings last January and February. The range of options included reducing individual income taxes, corporate income taxes, sales taxes, and inheritance taxes. State assistance to local governments was also considered, with the hope (but not guarantee) that they would use the funding to lower property taxes. All these options received support (and some opposition) during public hearings.

After the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Board issued their economic forecast for tax receipts at the end of February, we went to work to finalize a tax relief plan. A majority of the Revenue Committee identified individual income tax rates and brackets as the best option.

Negotiations to determine the scope of the tax relief plan spanned several weeks. On March 20th, the full Legislature debated and advanced a tax plan (LB 970) that I co-sponsored which lowered rates for the first three brackets of the state income tax schedule. All brackets were also expanded, resulting in more income qualifying for lower rates.

Under current law, a married couple filing jointly faces the following rates and brackets. Bracket 1 is $0-$4,800 at 2.56%. Bracket 2 is $4,800 to $35,000 at 3.57%. Bracket 3 is $35,000 to $54,000 at 5.12%. Bracket 4 is over $54,000 at 6.84%.

If LB 970 is passed into law, a married couple filing jointly will use the following rates and brackets. Bracket 1 will be $0 to $6,000 at 2.46%. Bracket 2 will be $6,000 to $36,000 at 3.51%. Bracket 3 will be $36,000 to $58,000 at 5.01%. Bracket 4 will be over $58,000 at 6,84%.

I’m pleased that we were able to come to an agreement on our tax relief plan. During the course of the past few weeks, some senators were adamantly opposed to a tax relief bill. They wanted to use the tax receipts that exceeded our previous economic forecast for new spending programs. We have advanced legislation that uses a small part of those receipts to increase the existing special education assistance program and replenish the immediate disaster assistance program. But if we adopt LB 970, the tax burden on Nebraska taxpayers will be decreased.

I look forward to continuing to support LB 970 on the next round of debate. Our bill received a positive 36 to 6 vote on General File (1st round of debate). I expect it will continue to receive super-majority support during Select File and Final Reading (the last two rounds of debate).

The Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) announced a new stage of activity on the new Platte River Bridge on U.S. Highway 77. Traffic will be shifted onto a temporary alignment to allow for the removal of portions of the existing roadway and the construction of the new roadway.

Access to Monnich Park will not be available from Highway 77. Access to Monnich Park will be available from South Main Street. Left turns onto Boulevard Street from Highway 77, and from Boulevard Street onto Highway 77, will not be allowed during this phase.

NDOR and Cramer and Associates (contractor on the project) thank you for your patience as this improvement project takes place.

If you’re interested in other NDOR projects across the state, updates on construction and detours are available at http://www.transportation.nebraska.gov/511/detours/construction-detours-info.pdf

Please continue to share your thoughts with me on issues of interest to you. I can be reached at 402.471.2625, cjanssen@leg.ne.gov, or District 15, State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509.

State budget adjustments and consideration of tax relief legislation has been the focus of the Legislature’s attention in this crucial portion of the 2012 legislative session.

By legislative rule, the full Legislature must pass any budget adjustment bills to the state’s biennium budget by the 50th legislative day in a 60 day session. That date falls on March 27th. Because the Nebraska Constitution requires one legislative day layover for the public to examine the final version of all bills, we must advance the budget adjustments from Select File (2nd round of debate) by March 21st (48th legislative day). Between now and then, several important amendments will be considered.

The Legislature has already made one significant budget adjustment from the Appropriations Committee’s budget recommendation.

On March 16th, a majority of members voted to increase funding for special education by $10 million. Article VII, Section 1, of our state Constitution reads in part, “The Legislature shall provide for the free instruction in the common schools of this state of all persons between the ages of five and twenty-one years.” “Common schools” means elementary and secondary schools.

We take this responsibility very seriously and education aid is the largest portion of our state budget. Nebraskans are rightfully proud of our schools and we have shown that they are a priority by the allocation of our taxpayer resources. Special education instruction has made leaps and bounds improvements over historical practices, but this advancement has led to a large increase in expenditures for school districts.

The Legislature felt that providing $10 million more dollars to special education would be an equitable way to provide more resources to local school districts to minimize growing special education costs to local schools. Special education funding was chosen because every district in Nebraska is eligible for it. Not every school district receives state aid to schools (TEEOSA) program funding because the statutory formula sometimes determines that local resources are greater than state supplementary resources needs.

Other amendments to the state budget adjustment package will also receive attention during upcoming days. Behavioral health aid, corrections spending, child welfare assistance, and other elements of the budget are subjects of other pending amendments.

Of utmost importance to me and other senators, tax relief legislation is also a key part of our budget discussions. Nebraska tax receipts have been higher than expected since the adoption of our initial budget last May. Many of us believe that those unexpected higher receipts should be returned to the taxpayers of Nebraska. Another group of senators would rather spend this money on new programs. It may be possible to restore some previous budget reductions in medical provider rates and replenish the immediate disaster assistance program, but tax relief should be high on our list of priorities.

We will have the opportunity to consider Senator Cornett and McCoy’s tax relief legislation after budget adjustment amendments are considered. I co-sponsored this tax relief plan because it is important to be good steward of taxpayer funds and we should return unexpected higher receipts at every opportunity to do so. I look forward to debating this legislation in the near future.

As winter changes to spring, school field trips to the Capitol become a welcome and refreshing part of our daily activities at the Capitol. I have enjoyed visiting with several schools from all across Dodge County. I continue to be impressed with the students’ great understanding of the Unicameral and state government in general. I encourage anyone from our Legislative District who is in Lincoln to visit our magnificent Capitol. A complete renovation of the exterior of the building is now complete after a top-to-bottom decade-plus-long rehabilitation. Please stop by my office if time permits during your visit. My office is located in Room 1403 (1st floor, north central hallway).

Please continue to share your thoughts with me on issues of importance to you. I can be reached at 402.471.2625, cjanseen@leg.ne.gov, or District 15, State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509.

Last week saw more good news for the state of Nebraska on the success of our new economic development initiatives.

The Beacon Hill Institute ranked Nebraska 6th in the nation in their State Competitiveness Report for 2011.

The Institute’s report based its rankings of the states by examining state policies in several areas. The overall ranking combines 44 economic indicators in eight categories. These categories include: (1) Government and Fiscal Policy (2) Security (3) Infrastructure (4) Human Resources (5) Technology (6) Business Incubation (7) Openness and (8) Environmental Policy.

We ranked particularly well in the Infrastructure, Human Resources, and Security subindexes.

I think that’s a testament to the great people and excellent workforce that we have in Nebraska. It speaks very highly for our K-12 public schools and our public and private institutions of postsecondary education.

It also reflects positively on the measures we’ve taken to improve our roads and telecommunications with the Build Nebraska Act and other infrastructure improvements. Our affordable power rates, low housing costs, and short commute times were also highlighted as elements that led to our high rating.

There were a few areas that we can improve upon (% of high-tech employment, venture capital per capita, incoming foreign direct investment per capita, patents per 100,000 inhabitants).

I’m pleased to report that all of these will be addressed by our recently enacted Talent and Innovation Initiative. 2012 legislation will also advance our standing with incentives for workforce training, research and development promotion, and medical research initiatives.

Our #6 overall ranking is a 10 spot improvement from just two years ago. The Legislature and Governor Heineman have partnered well to identify key areas for growth and enacted legislation that enhances the possibilities for our state to take advantage of new economic opportunities.

The Appropriations Committee offered their mid-biennium state budget adjustment recommendation last week. The nine-member committee identified several areas for action.

Health and human services programs, including child care assistance, child welfare services, developmental disability services, and medical provider reimbursement rates, were recommended for increases.

The Governor’s Emergency Program, which permits quick responses to natural disasters like the Missouri River flooding, tornado damage, excessive drought damage, and wildfires, would be replenished under their plan.

Three University of Nebraska initiatives were recommended by the committee for approval. The University of Nebraska Medical Center’s new cancer research facility, expansion and improvements to the University of Nebraska – Kearney’s Allied Health program, and a new Veterinary Diagnostic Center at the University of Nebraska Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources were included in the recommendation.

The forty other members of the Legislature have the opportunity to weigh in on the mid-biennium adjustments in the upcoming days. Passage of a balanced state budget is our foremost obligation as senators. We take this responsibility very seriously. The remainder of the legislative session will be spent on deciding where to best focus our resources to improve our state within limited resources.

I’d like to alert Dodge County residents who use US-77 south of the Platte River that the Nebraska Department of Roads issued a news release on March 9th to announce upcoming improvements to the Otoe Creek Bridge over US-77, north of N-64. This bridge replacement project is scheduled to begin on March 26th, weather permitting, and is anticipated to be completed this fall. Southbound motorists will be detoured on to N-109 south of the Platte River, 5 miles west, and then south for 11 miles to US-77, at Wahoo. Northbound US-77 motorists will be detoured on to N-109, at Wahoo, north on N-109 for 11 miles, then east 5 miles on N-109 back to US-77. The Department and contractor MMC, LLC thank you for your patience as they undertake this improvement project.

Please continue to share your thoughts with me on issues of importance to you. I can be reached at 402.471.2625,cjanssen@leg.ne.gov, or District 15, State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509.

We’ve been particularly focused on economic development policy initiatives during my term of service as your representative in the Unicameral. Nebraska has done very well relative to the rest of the nation in our economic performance during the last national economic slowdown. Our employment rate remains 2nd highest in the nation. Agricultural production is outperforming all expectations. We Nebraskans have reaped the rewards of our hard work and responsible financial decisions.

But we do not rest on our past successes. To continue our impressive run, members of the Legislature continue to study innovative economic policies and introduce legislation that can implement the best of these ideas. Last week we saw passage of the data center incentive bill (LB 1118) I covered in last week’s column as one example of an effort to attract new industries to Nebraska.

Implementation of the previous session’s package of bills, referred to as the Talent and Innovation Initiative, is showing immediate dividends.

The Talent and Innovation Initiative was a collection of measures to fill developing needs of new and existing businesses. InternNebraska created partnerships between the state and companies in fast growing industries to provide internship opportunities for community college and university students. The Business Innovation Fund is assisting companies in the development and introduction of new technologies to their business model. The Site and Building Development initiative permitted the state to partner with local communities to provide resources that create ready-to-go industrial and commercial sites for expanding businesses. The Angel Investment Tax Credit is encouraging investment in high-tech and other start-up enterprises by providing refundable state income tax credits to qualified investors of early stage companies.

In addition to these efforts, we have fine-tuned the Nebraska Advantage program, our key economic incentive program, to best meet the needs of businesses that wish to locate and expand in Nebraska.

The results of these efforts have been noticed across the nation. Last week, the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan tax research think tank, ranked Nebraska the best overall combined tax climate for new businesses.

We were the best place to locate new call centers and corporate headquarters. We were the second best place for new research and development facilities and for new capital-intensive manufacturers and new labor-intensive manufacturers. We also ranked second best for mature research and development operations and fifth best for mature labor-intensive manufacturing.

I can’t overstate how important this is for our economic future. We have made exceptional progress in improving our appeal to new businesses and the jobs that they create. Entrepreneurs, business recruiters, and employment specialists understand that Nebraska is a great place to live and work. We now have the proof with our number one ranking.

We also received good news last week regarding Nebraska exports. The International Trade Administration announced new data that show the value of our state’s merchandise exports rose 30% in 2011. We went from $5.8 billion to a record $7.6 billion. Nebraska nearly doubled the national average for merchandise growth.

By category – Food exports – $2.4 billion (29% increase). Agricultural products – $1.3 billion (52% increase). Machinery – $1.2 billion (27% increase). Chemicals and transportation equipment also exceeded $500 million.

Nebraska is clearly in a good place right now and legislators will continue to work with private and public sector experts to take advantage of our momentum. I look forward to reporting new economic development initiatives as they reach Final Reading (the last stage of debate) and passage in the 2012 legislative session.

Please continue to share your thoughts with me on issues before the Unicameral. I can be reached at 402.471.2625, cjanssen@leg.ne.gov, or District 15, State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509.

We are entering an important and active portion of the session as we begin all-day floor debate on senator and committee priority bills.

There is an adage in the statehouse that we’re halfway through the legislative session, but have 90% of the work ahead of us before adjournment.

Committee hearings concluded on February 24th. We now will meet as a full Legislature for all-day debate on bills that advanced from committees. There are over 100 bills with priority status that will be competing for time during the next seven weeks. There are several other bills eligible for expedited review (termed “Consent Calendar”) that will fill our days. We also must review and modify the two-year state budget to make sure that we continue to match revenues with expenditures after adopting the original budget last May.

One of the priority bills that is well on its way to approval is a bill I mentioned in a previous column. LB 1118 would encourage the development of large data center projects in our state by providing strategic tax incentives. These businesses would house the necessary infrastructure for search engines, encrypted data storage, and other services in the field of electronic commerce.

Nebraska is particularly well-placed to take advantage of new data center opportunities. We are centrally located nationally, have abundant and affordable power, and an excellent workforce. Our universities and colleges have excellent programs that develop and enhance the skills necessary for this field of work.

Our Legislative District is in a very strong position to compete for new data centers with our new Technology Park, available infrastructure and utilities, and Metro Community College’s green data center management degree program. I am confident that Fremont will be in the running for every new data center project that is looking to locate in Nebraska.

LB 1118 was amended on Select File (2nd round of debate) to enhance our state’s competitiveness with other states for mid-sized data center projects. The bill will require a data center to employee at least 30 new employees and invest at least $200 million in qualified property to receive incentives. This change will increase the likelihood of Nebraska landing multiple new data center projects. I am exciting about the opportunities that this bill will create for Nebraska and Dodge County.

Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Laurie Smith Camp upheld most of Fremont’s citizen-initiative ordinance on illegal immigration enforcement and prevention. As most of us expected, Judge Smith Camp ruled that it was entirely appropriate that Fremont require employers to make sure potential employees were lawfully eligible for employment in the U.S. The U.S. Supreme Court made it clear last May in Chamber of Commerce v. Whiting that Fremont was permitted to do so. The judge also agreed that Fremont could require disclosure of legal residency when issuing rental occupancy licenses and those determined to be unlawfully present in the U.S. could be reported to the Department of Homeland Security – Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I’m certain Fremont’s victory has been noted in the U.S. Congress and I am hopeful that our nation’s federal representatives will take action to enforce our immigration laws.

It is nice to see that citizens truly can make a difference when their government representatives don’t listen. We may be seeing a similar development in the next few days in the Unicameral. My voter ID bill has received great support from across the state, but a small minority of senators appear to be determined to ignore Nebraskans’ opinions. A July 2010 Caltech/MIT study examining support for election reform in the United States reported that 79% of Nebraskans supported requiring ID. No other reform measure came even close. (Other categories: internet voting – 24%; vote by mail – 14%; automatic registration – 36%; election day registration – 37%; election day holiday – 50%; election day on the weekend – 38%). Responses were similar nationally with 75% of Americans supporting requiring ID. It is my sincere hope that my colleagues will take these results to heart when voting on my bill.

Please continue to share your thoughts with me on issues before the Unicameral. I can be reached at 402.471.2625, cjanssen@leg.ne.gov, or District 15, State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509.