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Mike Jacobson

Sen. Mike Jacobson

District 42

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This past weekend, Julie and I celebrated her mother’s 95th birthday with approximately 40 family members. I must say that my mother-in-law is an amazing woman. She lost her husband, Maurice, 33 years ago from a massive heart attack. She remained on the farm for a few years after that, then moved into a duplex in Wilber. To this day, she lives alone, still drives herself where she needs to go, and has remained sharp. She is a huge Husker sports fan and attends football and volleyball games when tickets are available. We are fortunate that she has maintained her health and is able to live independently. It was a big weekend.

I would be remiss if I did not take a minute to recognize the passing of Ryan Hunter, who passed away unexpectedly at his home on December 1, 2024, at the age of 45. Ryan was married to Marcy (Kelly) Hunter and left behind their three sons, Charlie, Sam, and Liam. Ryan served as vice-president and IT officer of Western Nebraska Bank, a bank that he and his wife Kelly helped start. I want to express my deepest condolences to the entire Hunter and Kelly families during this very difficult time.

This week will be another week for me that begins in Lincoln with several meetings at the Capitol, including a meeting of the Executive Board. On Thursday and Friday, the annual Legislative Council meeting will take place in Kearney. This meeting will be the first time that all the returning Senators and the new Senators-Elect meet to discuss the upcoming legislative session. I have had the opportunity to meet most of the new Senators at his point and continue to be impressed. I am anxious to spend more time with them this week and get a better idea of their individual priorities.

Given the pending budget deficit, we will all need to work together to find solutions to balancing the budget. There will be many who will want to slow the income tax rate reductions. This would be a bad idea and should be avoided. If we want to solve our state’s high tax burden, we need to attract more taxpayers to the state. Business leaders (who are job creators) look at income tax rates (both personal and corporate) when selecting states to locate in. Since Wyoming and South Dakota both have no income tax and Kansas and Iowa have a lower tax rate, it does not make sense to make us less competitive.

Nebraska is a great place to live, work, and raise a family, but controlling our tax burden will determine if families can afford to stay here and if others consider moving here. I have long believed that people notice how much they pay in income taxes and property taxes. It is for that reason, that we need to focus first on those two taxes. Shifting some of that tax burden to sales tax is a possible solution.

In the end, however, we need to slow the growth in spending at all levels of government. I continue to challenge every political subdivision to question each dollar spent and ask if this spending is necessary to deliver the services they were created to deliver. There are many living on limited incomes who cannot afford to stay in their homes because the property taxes are too high. Let’s think of them when approving budgets.

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.

Sen. Mike Jacobson

District 42
Room 1523
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
(402) 471-2729
Email: mjacobson@leg.ne.gov
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