The summer is a time for legislators to spend some time away from the office in Lincoln, and for me, that means in my district and on my farm. It has been quite a dry summer so far so there has been a lot of work with irrigation as you can imagine. There is still legislative work to be done however, and my office and I are hard at work on a couple of interim studies that I introduced.

One of them is LR185, which will look at the feasibility of an ag high school or educational center in Nebraska. Agriculture is the primary economic driver in Nebraska and the backbone of the economy. Twenty-first century career opportunities in food systems, technology, research, environmental conservation and sustainability, international trade and policy, and finance require a highly technical educational curriculum in order for students to succeed. However, there is a lack of focus in the education system, especially for students in urban areas, about where food comes from and the skills and knowledge needed for careers in agriculture. An agricultural educational center or magnet school could provide a solution to the brain drain problem that has long siphoned young professionals away from our state in search of jobs elsewhere. Moreover, because of this state’s unique geographic and historic connection to agriculture, providing educational opportunities in support of food systems will prepare students for careers right here in Nebraska. 

The other study I introduced is LR186. The economic survival of many towns in Nebraska is dependent on features that encourage residents to continue living there. For some towns, a nonprofit movie theatre is one such feature. However, nonprofit movie theaters in certain jurisdictions in this state have been granted an exemption from state taxes, while others have not. This resolution and study came out of conversations I have had with the Bonham Theatre in Fairbury and their participation is greatly appreciated.

There are other bills and studies that I will be looking at over the interim as well. I co-sponsored LR196 which is a study on the potential applications for blockchain technology in agricultural operations such as for use in inventory control and maintenance of records. I’ll also be looking at ways to strengthen harassment protection orders in LB118. 

My legislative staff is in the office over the interim if you have questions or feedback to share about these interim studies or others.