Achieving structural property tax relief is my top priority in office. Although many legislators and candidates say they want property tax relief, few know how they want to achieve it. Below, you’ll find my plan on how to combat high property taxes on a structural level.

The key to structural property tax relief in Nebraska is to change how we fund K-12 education. I’ll preface by sharing that I wholeheartedly support our public schools, and any claims to the contrary are false. School districts are largely supported by a mix of state and local funding. 60-75% of a District 1 resident’s property tax bill goes towards funding your local K-12 school district. State aid for K-12 education is calculated through the 30-variable TEEOSA formula. In the 2020-2021 school year, 86% of the state’s equalization funding was provided to the 20 largest school districts in the state, leaving the remaining 224 rural school districts with a mere 14% of state equalization funding. This funding disparity puts rural property taxpayers, students, and school districts at a structural disadvantage. TEEOSA must be replaced with a simpler state funding system that provides fair funding for all school districts.

Another large part of creating structural property tax relief in Nebraska is to change how our state as a whole spends money. Spending caps are critical to prevent spending spikes by entities with the authority to levy property taxes. We must also cut unfunded state mandates on local entities and cut our state’s wasteful spending to help our local communities from having to raise property taxes to make ends meet. 

Finally, I will push to change our often unpredictable market-based valuation system on agricultural land to a production-based assessment, so you are paying for what comes out of your land, not simply for the land that you own.

Many people ask me, “what about the gambling initiative?” Claims the gambling legalization initiative would provide meaningful property tax relief are false. Even the most generous estimates provided by supporters place new revenue dedicated to property tax relief at a mere $50 million annually. Nebraskans pay around $5 billion annually in property taxes. At best, the current initiatives would only provide a 1% cut to your property tax bill. The gambling initiative will not provide meaningful property tax relief.

My record in office shows a strong commitment to property tax relief. LB 1107, paired with the 2019-2020 budget and 2020 budget adjustment, provides $650 million in annual property tax relief. LB 1107 is the largest property tax relief bill passed by the Legislature in decades. LB 512, which passed in 2019, provides property tax relief to landowners whose properties have been damaged by natural disasters. LB 103, also passed in 2019, requires that all property taxing authorities host a public hearing and vote before they raise your property taxes.

Addressing Nebraska’s property tax crisis is a major undertaking, and I have both the experience and knowledge necessary to lead the charge for District 1.

As always, I welcome your input on issues important to you. Follow along on my Facebook and Twitter pages, both entitled “Senator Julie Slama” for more updates, or contact me directly at Senator Julie Slama, District 1 State Capitol, PO Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509-4604; telephone 402-471-2733; email: jslama@leg.ne.gov

On Friday, October 9th, the “Patriots, God, and Country Tour” stopped in Nebraska City. This group of retired veterans and first responders are driving their patriotic vehicles over 5,000 miles this fall in 36 days. They are traveling from Phoenix to Washington D.C. and passing through 22 states, including Nebraska.

Last Friday, the tour arrived in Nebraska City. The caravan of patriotic vehicles was impressive to visitors of all ages. Members of the tour guided groups of students to different vehicles, pointing out that each truck celebrated a different unifying aspect of our country, from the bravery of our first responders to the U.S. Constitution. I had a fantastic time visiting with these patriots and respect everything that they have done in service to our country.

The purpose of the “Patriots, God, and Country Tour” is to change the current rhetoric of the nation. In a time of division in our country, the group wants to remind the nation of the gifts and freedoms God has bestowed upon us. These include the liberties we have in the United States and the heroes that protect them both in our country and abroad.

This year has been extremely difficult and divisive for everyone in our nation. Election cycles in our state and nation have caused tempers to flare on both sides, and we may have a tendency to forget what unites us. We are one America and one Nebraska, regardless of political affiliation.

We come from different walks of life and political stripes in Southeast Nebraska, but there’s a common thread: we take genuine pride in our communities and want to see them succeed.

No agendas, no ulterior motives- just an honest desire to do what’s right. We may have differing ideas on how to best get there sometimes, but at the end of the day, we’re all in this together.

That’s something to be proud of, if you ask me.

As always, I welcome your input on issues important to you. Follow along on my Facebook and Twitter pages, both entitled “Senator Julie Slama” for more updates, or contact me directly at Senator Julie Slama, District 1 State Capitol, PO Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509-4604; telephone 402-471-2733; email: jslama@leg.ne.gov 

Fall is a busy time of year in Nebraska. Farmers across the state are getting to see the results of a long summer of growing their crops and are busy harvesting their fields before winter comes. Harvest is the most highly anticipated event of the year nearly every farmer, and involves weeks of heavy labor. However, the relief and reward of a successful harvest is indescribable, and is worth all the hard work that is put into this season.

Nebraska is an agricultural leader in the United States. As of 2019, nearly 45 million (44,900,000) acres of our state are a part of a farm operation, including both farming and ranching. This is approximately 91% of our entire state! Obviously, that makes agriculture an extremely important part of Nebraska’s economy. A study found that, in 2018, cash receipts from farm marketings contributed more than $21 billion to Nebraska’s economy, which was 5.7% of the U.S. total. 

Our farmers also help the economy in our own state. One out of every four jobs (25%) in our state is related to agriculture, as compared to a national average of 11%. Therefore, much of our employment is related to farming. Also, every dollar in agricultural exports generates $1.28 in additional economic activities such as transportation, financing, warehousing and production. In 2018, the $6.8 billion in agricultural exports translates to $8.7 billion in additional economic activity.

District 1 itself is an important part of the agricultural superpower of our state. According to the USDA, last year, our five counties harvested an average of 53.63 bushels of winter wheat, 149.86 bushels of corn and 51.9 bushels of soybeans per acre! Our farmers work hard to boost our state’s economy and feed our nation’s residents, and now is one of the craziest times of year for them.

In our state, each farm operation works 982 acres on average, and our property taxes have negatively impacted our farmers to a great extent. They are simply too high. Here in the Legislature, I have been working hard to provide property tax relief to the farmers in District 1. The passage of LB 1107 in this past session will help to alleviate some of the burden that our farmers have faced, but I don’t want it to stop there. The only thing that our farmers should have to worry about is just that, farming. 

We should all be supportive of our farming communities at this time because, again, harvest can be a very stressful part of the year. Our farmers and their families will be in my prayers, and I wish all of them luck during this time!

As always, I welcome your input on issues important to you. Follow along on my Facebook and Twitter pages, both entitled “Senator Julie Slama” for more updates, or contact me directly at Senator Julie Slama, District 1 State Capitol, PO Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509-4604; telephone 402-471-2733; email: jslama@leg.ne.gov

September 21, 2020

Happy Fall! As the weather cools, it is a great time to get out in our communities and appreciate the season. There are many opportunities around our beautiful district to enjoy both this time of year and each other.

Indian Cave State Park has events on the second, third, and fourth week of October for its 25th Annual “Haunted Hollow.” On Friday nights at 7:30 p.m., there will be a Pasture Movie. Be sure to bring your chairs and blankets, and get ready to cuddle up and enjoy some Halloween classics, such as Casper, Halloween Town and Hocus Pocus. It will be fun for the whole family! 

On Saturday nights, the park will have a Haunted Drive-Thru for $15 a vehicle. The park will begin selling tickets on October 1st, and they will not be sold on site. Tickets are limited, so be sure to call 402-883-2575 to get yours as soon as possible! 

The park will have a Halloween Scavenger Hunt, which will be a ton of fun for everyone! Finally, the park is hosting a Campsite Decorating Contest on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th weekend of the month. Judging will be at 10 p.m on Saturdays, so be sure that you are there early enough to get your decorations up! 

Also, be sure to check out the Harvest Celebration in Nebraska City! Events are still on despite the recent fire at Porter’s and the Apple House Market. Events will include wine tasting, hard cider tasting, live music, and much more. Tickets for all the attractions and activities will be available to purchase at least one week in advance. New for this year, you are not required to have Tree Adventure admission to pick apples and pumpkins! Just go to the orchard and purchase as many bags as you need to pick apples to your heart’s content. Pumpkin picking is expected to begin early- to mid- October.

AppleJack activities during the Harvest Celebration will be spread out over three weekends instead of one to give our communities more time to enjoy the excitement. Get your fill on apple pie, apple cider, donuts, candy apples, caramel apples, and everything apple that you can imagine. AppleJack’s kick off weekend was this past week, so the fun is in full swing! 

I think that we can all agree that a great fall day also includes a great game. Our students at all levels are playing hard in football, volleyball, and other sports across our district. Be sure to go support your local school’s sports and cheer on our youth! Please double check the school’s most recent COVID protocols for athletic events to ensure admission is open to the public before attending.

Fall is a beautiful time of year, and it definitely is a time to get out and enjoy the outdoors before the chill of winter comes. Plan to join events in your community, so you can fully experience this season!

As always, I welcome your input on issues important to you. Follow along on my Facebook and Twitter pages, both entitled “Senator Julie Slama” for more updates, or contact me directly at Senator Julie Slama, District 1 State Capitol, PO Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509-4604; telephone 402-471-2733; email: jslama@leg.ne.gov 

Constitution Day

On September 17, 1787, the Founding Fathers signed the United States Constitution, one of the most influential documents in world history. Last week, we celebrated the 233rd anniversary of the Constitution’s signing. That day and every day, we must work to preserve and protect our structural documents from those that wish to attack the very foundation of our system of government.

The Framers of the Constitution created our federal government with the people in mind. They had dealt with the tyranny of the British monarchy, facing excessive taxation without representation. After fighting a bloody war for independence, the Founders worked hard to formulate a system that increased the roles of individuals in the government and allowed the common man to have their opinion represented at the federal level.

The Framers made sure that every individual would be represented in the federal government. Through the Connecticut Compromise (also called the Great Compromise), the Framers created a government that represents the entire nation equally. The compromise created two houses of Congress: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Representation in the House would be based on the population of the state in question, and each state would contribute two delegates to the Senate, regardless of their population. This smoothed tensions between larger and smaller states that both desired to give their residents the best representation possible.

It took a lot of discussion and debate to get voters the rights that we can express freely today. For instance, it was originally proposed that the President would be selected by a popular vote of the people. However, the delegates agreed on a system known as the Electoral College, which we still use today. This decision helped benefit states like ours by ensuring that power is distributed geographically instead of centered on one area of the country.

As Benjamin Franklin left the Pennsylvania State House after the final meeting of the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787, he was approached by a woman who asked him what sort of government the new country would have. Franklin replied, “A republic, madam. If you can keep it.”

In the document that the Framers created over 200 years ago, they achieved their goal of creating a Constitution that allows voters to choose who they want to represent them. Every vote counts, and with Election Day right around the corner, we can all take advice from Mister Franklin as we do our civil duty to keep our republic that our Founding Fathers worked so diligently to create.

As always, I welcome your input on issues important to you. Follow along on my Facebook and Twitter pages, both entitled “Senator Julie Slama” for more updates, or contact me directly at Senator Julie Slama, District 1 State Capitol, PO Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509-4604; telephone 402-471-2733; email: jslama@leg.ne.gov.

Letter to the Big Ten Conference

This past week, 28 of Nebraska’s 49 state senators signed onto my letter to Big Ten Conference Commissioner Keven Warren urging the B1G to transparently reconsider its decision to cancel fall sports. 

“We are writing you today to urge the Big Ten Conference to transparently reconsider its decision to cancel the fall football season. 

Other major conferences have proven over recent weeks that football and other fall sports can be conducted safely. Big Ten athletic programs have led the way for player safety by ensuring student-athletes have access to regular testing and are under tight physical distancing controls. Five weeks ago, conference leaders released updated and enhanced testing, quarantine, and isolation policies. These efforts have been successful at preventing the spread of COVID-19, yet the conference disregarded this success by canceling the fall season anyway.

The University of Nebraska’s student-athletes, coaches, and administrators have overwhelmingly expressed support of a fall sports season. The Big Ten Conference’s fall sports cancellation, especially while other major conferences have successfully prepared to return to action, placed our student-athletes at a disadvantage to their peers on and off the playing field. Big Ten member institutions also stand to lose hundreds of millions of dollars that support vital student scholarships and programs. 

Safely returning to play this fall has support from players, parents, coaches, and fans in the state of Nebraska. Therefore, we respectfully ask that you reconsider your decision and work with our university leaders to allow sports to resume this fall.”

This letter had bipartisan support from many of my colleagues. Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren’s son is playing football this fall at Mississippi State, so it would certainly be my hope that if convincing evidence existed to cancel the fall sports season, the Big Ten would make that information publicly available for all to know. If that evidence doesn’t exist, we owe it to our student athletes to give this season a shot. Falls sports represent both an irreplaceable time in these athletes’ lives and a multi-million dollar segment of Nebraska’s economy, supporting hundreds of jobs. Conference leaders will be voting again on the fate of the falls sports season this week. Let’s hope, this time, the vote is transparent and evidence-based.

As always, I welcome your input on issues important to you. Follow along on my Facebook and Twitter pages, both entitled “Senator Julie Slama” for more updates, or contact me directly at Senator Julie Slama, District 1 State Capitol, PO Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509-4604; telephone 402-471-2733; email: jslama@leg.ne.gov.

Labor Day & Law Enforcement

While many of us celebrated Labor Day with friends and family, our essential workers remained on the front lines to provide critical services. Our corrections officers, military personnel, health care professionals, and other first responders deserve our thanks for their work every day to protect our society. Through unprecedented challenges, selfless leaders have answered the call to serve District 1 and keep us safe. This week’s article will focus on a group of brave men & women that have found their very profession in the crosshairs of a political debate: our law enforcement officers.

Many cities and towns around the country are considering “defunding the police,” and moving those resources elsewhere. This is an idea that absolutely boggles my mind. At a time in our country marked by riots and unrest, there are some arguing to defund the very men and women who are tasked with keeping the unrest under control. 

Seattle’s “autonomous zone” provided a case study on why law enforcement officers are absolutely necessary. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan permitted protestors to force out law enforcement and barricade themselves into what she referred to as “a block party.” Life within the autonomous zone was anything but sunshine and good feelings, however. Decades-old business were pillaged, infrastructure was decimated, and serious crimes were not investigated. The autonomous zone had descended into anarchy by the time it was finally broken up by federal officials. 

There are also those who argue that social workers should be the ones responding to calls of a person suffering from mental distress, rather than the police. We better understand the devastating impact of mental illness now more than any other time in our country’s history, but a social worker entering a potentially dangerous situation by themselves is a recipe for disaster. Imagine an unarmed social worker attempting to disarm a person who, in the midst of a manic episode, has put a gun to their spouse’s head.

Violence against law enforcement officers even occurs in Nebraska. On August 26th, Lincoln police officer Mario Herrera was killed in the line of duty. Our law enforcement officers put their lives on the line each day to protect our communities. It’s usually a thankless job, but today I’d like to send a message to our law enforcement officers across District 1: thank you.

If you see our local officers around town, please take some time to thank them for their service to District 1. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the negative news in our world today- the best thing we can do is spread our own positive message in response. At a time where some lawmakers want to defund the police, I’m proud to defend our brave men and women in blue.

As always, I welcome your input on issues important to you. Follow along on my Facebook and Twitter pages, both entitled “Senator Julie Slama” for more updates, or contact me directly at Senator Julie Slama, District 1 State Capitol, PO Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509-4604; telephone 402-471-2733; email: jslama@leg.ne.gov.

2020 Legislative Session Wrap-Up, Part 3 of 3

This week’s column will end the three-part series covering the resumption of the 108th Nebraska Legislature Second Session by highlighting a few more bills that will have a positive impact on Southeast Nebraska.

LB 153 was a strong step towards making Nebraska a more veteran-friendly state. Thanks to the passage of LB 153, beginning January 1, 2022, individuals may exclude half of their military retirement benefit pay from state income tax. LB 153 passed on a vote of 46-0. There is still far more to be done to make Nebraska a veteran-friendly state, and I look forward to supporting additional legislation that benefits all veterans.

LB 814 was one of the most important pro-life bills to pass in the last decade. LB 814 bans the barbaric practice of dismembering a living baby while still in the womb. Dismemberment abortion is the procedure of a person purposely dismembers and extracts a living fetus from the uterus using clamps, forceps, or similar instruments. Nebraska is a pro-life state and it is an honor to defend preborn life in the Legislature. 

LB 226 was signed into law and will allow self-employed child care providers to apply for a state income tax credit. Childcare options can be limited in rural areas and LB 226 will allow self-employed child care providers to be added to the 2016 School Readiness Tax Credit Act under the definition of eligible staff members. This credit will open the door to more child care options in our state.

The Nebraska Legislature also passed several bills to help our first responders. LB 963, introduced by Senator Brewer, will provide first responders with opportunities to receive resilience training to help prevent or mitigate the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder. These mental health interventions will save lives. LB 1002 clarifies and streamlines language in our EMS statutes, including adding community care paramedic and critical care paramedic as EMS providers and allows the restocking of prescription drugs by a hospital for an emergency medical service if EMS transports a patient to the hospital and the drugs were used for the patient prior to or during transportation. 

These last three weeks have provided a brief summary of a productive biennium in the Nebraska Legislature. Any bill introduced in this biennium can be looked up on the Legislature’s official website: www.nebraskalegislature.gov.

As always, I welcome your input on issues important to you. Follow along on my Facebook and Twitter pages, both entitled “Senator Julie Slama” for more updates, or contact me directly at Senator Julie Slama, District 1 State Capitol, PO Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509-4604; telephone 402-471-2733; email: jslama@leg.ne.gov .

Rural Access to Broadband: Another Win for Southeast Nebraska

COVID-19 has shone a spotlight on the need for reliable internet service. Thousands of jobs in Nebraska now have options to “work from home,” while many classrooms have been moved online. Remote workers are looking to leave the close confines of urban living, free from the potential constraints of a long commute. Having access to broadband isn’t just a recruitment tool for rural areas- it’s a necessity to thrive in a digital world. Our rural communities need reliable broadband access more than ever, and your Nebraska Legislature has recognized that necessity by passing LB 992 and LB 996 in 2020

LB 992, introduced by Senator Friesen, adopts the Broadband Internet Service Infrastructure Act. This bill also provides certain broadband and internet-related services. LB 992 would allow public power entities to utilize existing easements for the deployment of broadband infrastructure.  

LB 996 is also a win for internet access in Southeast Nebraska. LB 996 provides for a government internet network use policy for the Legislature and creates the Broadband Data Improvement Program. This ensures the State of Nebraska is accurately represented in federal broadband grant programs. These grant programs include grants from the federal Universal Service Fund. The purpose of the Broadband Data Improvement Program is to allocate resources to areas of the state where public feedback, crowdsourcing, or other evidence suggests that the federal broadband data may be inaccurate, develop a statewide outreach plan to promote citizen participation in a state or federal broadband data crowdsource program and more. 

Governor Ricketts also allocated $40 million to rural broadband remote access grant programs from CARES Act funding, spurring investment in state-of-the-art fiber infrastructure. 

The $40 million in CARES Act funding, LB 992, and LB 996 will each improve broadband access in rural Nebraska. This is a win for rural Nebraska, especially in our corner of the state where hills limit access to line-of-sight towers. We must invest in strong internet infrastructure to cover our entire state, and these three initiatives are massive steps in the right direction.

As always, I welcome your input on issues important to you. Follow along on my Facebook and Twitter pages, both entitled “Senator Julie Slama” for more updates, or contact me directly at Senator Julie Slama, District 1 State Capitol, PO Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509-4604; telephone 402-471-2733; email: jslama@leg.ne.gov .

Sine Die

The 106th Nebraska Legislature Second Session has adjourned sine die, meaning that the Legislature has adjourned until January. If you had the chance to tune in during the final 17 days of session, you may have witnessed some dysfunction first hand. There was an absurd amount of shouting and crying on the floor during debate (District 1, you’ll be happy to know that your senator did not participate in that kind of behavior). Behind the scenes of the drama, however, was a level-headed group of senators negotiating the biggest compromises of this session. Cooler heads prevailed, with the last few days featuring compromise legislation passing on each of the biggest goals of this biennium. Over the next few columns, I’ll summarize a few of the most important bills passed in 2020.

The biggest victory from this Legislature was the passage of the “Grand Bargain,” LB 1107. This package was a step in the right direction for achieving meaningful property tax relief, though structural reform in our tax code still needs to be addressed in 2021. LB 1107 more than doubles the size of the Property Tax Credit Fund, which is direct relief to property taxpayers. The state will increase that fund, which is currently $275 million, to $400 million in the first year and eventually to $650 million in state-funded property tax relief. LB 1107 also includes the new business tax incentive program funding that would begin at $25 million annually for the first two years and gradually increase to $150 million in the fifth year. The new business incentives program also includes more incentives for small businesses and better transparency measures. Finally, LB 1107 includes a commitment to provide funds for a federal project at the University of Nebraska Medical Center that could bring thousands of jobs to Nebraska.

We also updated the budget for this biennium. The budget bill includes $50 million in flood recovery funding and a transfer of $10 million in general funds to the Rural Workforce Housing Investment Fund. These are impressive wins for Southeast Nebraska and our rural communities. It also provides a $3.7 million increase in developmental disability provider rates, adds an additional $1.5 million to aid local public health departments, adds $250,000 in general funds to the Nebraska State Patrol Crime lab to support testing sexual assault kits, and also adds $458,000 over two years to the Nebraska Supreme Court to increase staffing for youth problem solving courts. The budget also requires any funds that were not allocated and unexpended from COVID-19 to be reoffered through a grant process for unmet needs. This could include rental and food assistance, small business and livestock stabilization, broadband, workforce retraining and child care. Extra funds may also be transferred to the Rainy Day Fund. The bill took effect immediately when passed with a vote of 43-3. 

District 1, these past two years have been marked by unprecedented events, including the floods of 2019 and COVID-19. Nebraska’s Legislature has risen to the occasion, leading to several accomplishments that will benefit those in Southeast Nebraska and also across the state. 

As always, I welcome your input on issues important to you. Follow along on my Facebook and Twitter pages, both entitled “Senator Julie Slama” for more updates, or contact me directly at Senator Julie Slama, District 1 State Capitol, PO Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509-4604; telephone 402-471-2733; email: jslama@leg.ne.gov .