This week, the Legislature is hosting the newly elected state Senators for the semi-annual orientation to the Legislature. To put this in perspective, remember our current term-limit system of two consecutive four-year terms. With 49 Senators in the Legislature, there is no even distribution of members. My current freshman class, who served in the 108^th biennium, will move to the sophomore class when the 109^th Legislature begins. There were 14 new members when my class was elected. Meanwhile, the current incoming freshman class consists of 17 individuals. The incoming senior class consists of ten Senators, and the incoming junior class has eight members. Since some of the members of each class may have been appointed, they may have more or less than eight years to serve. Additionally, some Senators were term-limited in the past and have been re-elected for another four years.

I outline the current classes to give you an idea of the limited experience this 109^th Legislature will have to work with. Several members in my class will become committee chairs this next biennium. It should also be noted that, given the size of the junior and senior classes, there will be fewer new Senators joining the Legislature in upcoming election cycles unless incumbents fail to be re-elected or choose not to run for re-election.

Although much progress has been made during the last eight years in reducing taxes and regulations, there is much more work to be done. As I have shared in the past, the rural/urban divide is alive and well, so further progress on taxes will include placing Senators from the third caucus in positions of leadership on the committees that can make a difference. It will also mean building relationships throughout the Legislature to put us in the best position to pass meaningful legislation.

I am pleased with the new western-Nebraska Senators entering the Legislature this fall. Paul Strommen, Tanya Storer, and Stan Clouse will be ready to hit the ground running. I really look forward to working with them. I also will miss working with their predecessors: Senator Steve Erdman, Senator Tom Brewer, and Senator John Lowe, respectively. We did not agree on every issue, but we always came together on the important votes. I want to thank all of them for their service to the Legislature and to greater Nebraska.

Julie and I did have the opportunity to ride in the North Platte Veteran’s Parade last week. It is a true privilege to honor the men and women who served our country in the armed forces. Every day is a good day to honor Veterans. I will be bringing a bill to try to do more for those Veterans who return home with handicaps. It is the very least we can do.

We also made the trip to Los Angeles for the USC football game with a large group of boosters and alumni who support the Huskers, win or lose. All of you know that I hate losing, but I see Coach Rhule building something great in Lincoln. I hope everyone gives him time to do just that. Our team is loaded with true freshmen, some of whom start today. The bulk of the team consists of freshmen and sophomores. (Just like the Legislature!) I see a bright future. Meanwhile, let’s get behind the team on Saturday as they take on Wisconsin. We just need one more win to be bowl-eligible, and I believe both of the last two games are winnable if they play within their ability.

I look forward to continuing to hear from you about issues that are important to you. It is a privilege to serve as your State Senator, and I will continue to give my full effort to make a positive difference for the District and the State. You can reach me at mjacobson@leg.ne.gov or 402-471-2729.