As many of you know, the borders of District 42 were expanded beyond Lincoln County during the 2020 redistricting. Outmigration of population from Lincoln County over the last decade accounts for the change. Now, District 42 also includes McPherson, Hooker, Thomas, Logan, and the majority of Perkins County. Fortunately, I am very familiar with these counties and continue to actively engage with constituents throughout the District to learn about their needs.

I remain laser-focused on finding ways to grow District 42. A key component to retaining and recruiting population will be continuing to improve services within all areas of the District. One common thing throughout the newly expanded district is that there are many villages and unincorporated communities, as well as individual farms and ranches. It is often harder to make a “business case” for private investment when the population is low. In these situations, the State must find efficient ways to incentivize or, if necessary, subsidize investment.

For example, smalltown and rural Nebraska depends heavily on volunteer firefighters and paramedics to provide emergency services. This past year was particularly busy for our Rural Volunteer Fire Departments. Dry and windy conditions have resulted in many wildfires both inside and outside District 42. Our District 42 crews were also called upon to provide mutual aid for the very large fires. We are fortunate to have men and women willing to put their lives on the line to protect others.

Rural emergency services receive a small portion of county property taxes, but these funds are not always sufficient to cover significant one-time expenses. We must do all we can to not only provide training for our volunteer first responders but also ensure they have the necessary equipment. To this end, I have been working with two villages in the District that need a new ambulance. I have encouraged them to apply for available grant funds, which provide an opportunity to improve their equipment without increasing local property taxes. In addition, I will continue to support mobile training programs, like Simulation in Motion, which provide educational opportunities where the volunteers are. These programs decrease the training burden on rural volunteers by reducing their travel obligations.

Another area where state government can help is connectivity. Next session, I will continue to ensure that available funding for connectivity infrastructure reaches District 42. Although progress has been made in building out broadband, there is more to do. Technology continues to outpace our ability to build out the infrastructure. As labor remains tight, farmers must rely more heavily on technology to manage their operations.

We also have a huge need for improving mobile coverage. It is literally impossible to drive from North Platte to Mullen on Highway 97 without losing cell phone coverage. The drive on Highway 83 between North Platte to Thedford encounters the same problems. Not only do those living and traveling in these areas need connectivity to work and socialize, but mobile service is critical for public safety.

Although I would prefer the federal government would slow its spending, the pandemic response and infrastructure funds being sent to the states will be spent by someone. If we are on the hook for the bill, we need to get all the value we can from Nebraska’s share of the funding. The Legislature was careful to make sure that American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds were only going for “one-time” spending projects such as deferred maintenance, necessary infrastructure, and transformative developments. As we now consider how to invest funds from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, I will be there to remind my fellow Senators about the needs of our villages, unincorporated communities, and more isolated farms and ranches.

If you have identified needed support for other critical services or want to discuss any other issue impacting you, please feel free to reach out to me at mjacobson@leg.ne.gov or 402-471-2729. My door is always open!