Senator Tom Brewer
43rd District
8-16-2019

We are in the interim between sessions. This is the time when senators are able to spend time back in their districts, attend events, and work on legislation for the next session. Here are a few of the issues I plan to address in 2020.

First and foremost, I will continue to support efforts in the Legislature to find a way to deliver meaningful property tax relief. My colleagues have been deadlocked on this issue and have been unable to find a solution that attracts the 33 votes needed. But the voters know that this is our number one job. It has been my greatest frustration as a senator that so few of my colleagues understand that. I will have a table at the Willow Tree Festival in Gordon next month to collect signatures for the Property Tax Ballot Initiative. I encourage everyone to get involved in this important effort. To learn more about how you can help, visit truenebraskans.com.

It should come as no surprise that I remain concerned about protecting our legal right to keep and bear arms. I think a Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) is nothing more than the government selling our Second Amendment-protected rights back to us. I think Nebraska should be like many other states with “Constitutional Carry” that doesn’t require a special permit. I will be looking for a way to reduce the bureaucratic and financial burden Nebraska law currently places on people trying to exercise this constitutional right.

Nebraska is one of six states that collect income taxes on Social Security benefits. This is wrong in so many ways. It angers me that the government has the audacity to tax a person’s income in the first place. When this benefit we all paid for is received, the government has the nerve to tax it again. Tax and spend senators will push back hard on this idea. I will be told that the legislature “can’t afford the lost revenue” that would happen if we un-tax social security. This is wrong-headed.

If Nebraskans choose — through their elected representatives — to reduce the revenue collected by the State, they are not somehow injuring the government. If the legislature passes a new law that results in you paying $1000 less in taxes next year, have you taken something from the State government that rightfully belongs to it? Or has the government simply taken less from you? You don’t cost the government money — the government costs you money! Two-thirds of Nebraskans receiving social security benefits utterly depend on their Social Security income. At the very least, lower income folks shouldn’t have to pay taxes on this income.

Please contact my office with any comments, questions or concerns. Email me at tbrewer@leg.ne.gov, mail a letter to Sen. Tom Brewer, Room #1423, P.O. Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509, or call us at (402) 471-2628.

Senator Tom Brewer
43rd District
8-9-2019

In light of the recent mass shootings, I find it distressing that so many people are looking to politicians and/or the government as the only solution to this terrible problem. It bothers me to think that citizens have become increasingly conditioned to first look to the government for their needs. We should instead look to ourselves as accountable. Society itself is where the solution can be found. Government making another law is not going to stop mass shootings. This is a lot of bull. There’s not a single example of this ever working; just look at Chicago. Assault with a deadly weapon is already illegal. Murder is already illegal. The only people affected by laws are those who are law-abiding in the first place. Government whittling away at the rights and liberties of law-abiding citizens does absolutely nothing to stop a bloodthirsty maniac.

I think it’s time we set a course that takes a hard look at our society. I think we need to start being honest with ourselves and come to grips with the fact that many of our problems are of our own making. The real heart of the issue lies with the foundation of our civil society. Parents, families, communities, states, and society as a whole need to help. We have to ask ourselves some tough questions. “How have we screwed up our society and culture?” “How can each and every one of us take responsibility for a piece of this and start fixing what’s wrong? “What can I do?”

We need to realize that the only way to stop a bad person with a gun is a good person with a gun. I encourage everyone to take the class to get their concealed carry permit. There are dozens of cases where a concealed carry permit holder stopped a tragedy like this, often without firing a shot. Become part of the solution. I will do everything I can to help folks do this. I would like to extend this offer to my fellow senators especially. And if you do not think you would be able to take on the responsibility of armed defense, at least consider signing up for a “stop the bleed” class. We can all find ways to be better prepared to help others and help ourselves in an emergency.

The few things the government can do to address this problem have already been done. The real solution lies with us. Support for and membership in our civic and community groups has been dwindling over the years. Our churches, our civic organizations, our institutions that bring us together in fellowship and common cause for our friends, neighborhoods and communities need your help. Government cannot replace these things. There is no substitute for involved citizens.

It is our responsibility to build and maintain this social framework, to erect these moral guardrails and instill these values for all people to become successful and invested citizens. Instead of pinning all of our hopes on politicians and more failed government programs, let’s work together as free people to help ourselves.

Please contact my office with any comments, questions or concerns. Email me at tbrewer@leg.ne.gov, mail a letter to Sen. Tom Brewer, Room #1423, P.O. Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509, or call us at (402) 471-2628.

Senator Tom Brewer
43rd District
8-2-2019

Last week I attended a Property Tax Town Hall hosted by the Platte Institute in North Platte. A number of other Senators were there. Senators Groene, Linehan and Lowe made up a panel who took questions and discussed the property tax crisis we have in Nebraska. The aim of events like this is to inform citizens around the State, and to help people understand how difficult getting something passed in the legislature really is. Much of the discussion was centered on LB 289 from the last session. This was the best chance we had to finally pass meaningful property tax relief, but it was killed by a filibuster. The senators did a good job at this town hall, and the Platte Institute always puts on a first-class event. I think Senator Lowe summed things up very well when he said;

“We’ve got one more chance…If we can’t get this passed in this next session, it’s up to the people of Nebraska.” I wholeheartedly agree.

I support efforts to resurrect LB 289 next session, and will continue to fight for a legislative solution to this problem. Unfortunately, the ideological composition of the legislature is not going to change between now and next session. Senators who were a “no” vote before will likely be again. We can all “hope” they change their minds, but as General Petraeus said in Iraq, “Hope is a poor course of action.” I think the legislature is stuck in a political log jam. We’re hopelessly deadlocked on this issue. If there was a realistic chance of passing a legislative solution to this problem, it would have happened long ago. It’s time for the people of Nebraska to take matters into their own hands and finally fix this terrible problem.

In 1912, Nebraska became one of 12 states that have in their constitutions the right of the people to introduce constitutional amendments, introduce laws, and repeal laws. This is commonly referred to as a “ballot initiative or referendum.” After collecting a specified amount of signatures from registered voters around the State, a question is then put on the general election ballot. If it receives a majority of votes, the measure becomes law without any action by the legislature or the governor. “The People” can pass laws in Nebraska, and it’s high time they did. The ballot initiative is the only realistic way this problem is ever going to be addressed.

I strongly encourage Nebraskans to sign the petition and visit: truenebraskans.com and get involved. The idea is very simple. 35% of your property tax bill will be refunded to you by the State if this ballot initiative passes. About 120,000 signatures need to be turned in to the Secretary of State on 3 July 2020. TrueNebraskans are off to a great start, but they could really use your help.

In other news, I am looking for a new Administrative Assistant. This is a full-time position with state-employee benefits. Interested parties should send me a resume.
Please contact my office with any comments, questions or concerns. Email me at tbrewer@leg.ne.gov, mail a letter to Sen. Tom Brewer, Room #1423, P.O. Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509, or call us at (402) 471-2628.

Senator Tom Brewer
43rd District
7-26-2019

I was invited to speak this past week in Ireland at the 32nd Annual Gerald Manley Hopkins Festival in Dublin. It is a beautiful country and the people are very friendly.

While there I was disappointed to learn that the private ownership of firearms is illegal. It’s very difficult for a citizen to even possess a gun to just go to the range. When the government decides there should be hunting of wildlife, their agents do the hunting. Consequently, only the criminals and the police have guns. The Irish people do not have the basic human right of self-defense. A person cannot even own a knife longer than three inches. I thought “democratic” countries who are our close friends and allies had similar protections for their citizens in their constitutions. The “western democracies” of Europe are not as similar to the United States as I first thought.

In 1916 the Irish revolted against the King of England. They threw off over 700 years of English tyranny. If the current rules were in effect, they wouldn’t be enjoying the freedom they have now. I’m glad I don’t live in Ireland.

Our Constitution/our Government does not bestow rights upon American citizens. Our right to keep and bear arms isn’t “given” to us by the 2nd Amendment any more than the 1st Amendment gives us a right to free speech. These rights are ours by birth. They are “natural” rights. All our Constitution does is attempt to “protect” them from ever being infringed upon by government.

There are about 195 countries in the world today. Only three of them afford their citizens a constitutionally-protected right to own a gun: USA, Mexico, and Guatemala. I was stunned to learn that not even our Canadian neighbor guarantees a citizen’s right to own a gun. Our country is the only one with (almost) no restrictions on our 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms. I had no idea it was so rare. Almost half of all citizen-owned guns in the world are in the United States.

My trip reminded me why elected officials in the United States take an oath to “protect and defend” our Constitution and all the rights it safeguards. I will always fight any effort to “infringe” upon our 2nd Amendment rights. It’s the one right that protects all the others.

Please contact my office with any comments, questions or concerns. Email me at tbrewer@leg.ne.gov, mail a letter to Sen. Tom Brewer, Room #1423, P.O. Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509, or call us at (402) 471-2628.

Senator Tom Brewer
43rd District
7-19-2019

This week I attended a hearing in the District court in O’Neill concerning the Cherry County Commissioners. They are being sued by “Preserve the Sandhills,” a group of citizens who oppose wind energy development in the Sandhills.

I’m happy to report the judge ruled in “Preserve the Sandhills” favor.

Judge Mark Kozisek’s order temporarily stops board members Tanya Storer and Martin DeNaeyer from “hearing, discussing, considering, influencing or voting” on a conditional use permit for a planned wind energy facility near Kilgore. The arguments I listened to in court alleged these board members have a conflict of interest and should not be allowed to vote on this matter. Evidence to support this argument was presented and now it’s up to the judge to decide.

There are laws in Nebraska that deal with elected officials who have conflicts of interest. This sort of thing is handled by the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission (NADC). Elected officials who “think” they may have a conflict of interest have a duty under the law to report that to the NADC. The NADC issues rulings indicating whether or not they believe the elected official has a conflict of interest. If they do, NADC will direct actions they need to take, such as not voting on issues they have a conflict with.

It’s important to remember that the NADC cannot technically stop a politician from doing their job, but they can levy fines for failing to do what NADC directs them to do. LB 411 was a bill we were able to pass last session which substantially increased these fines.

My bill, LB 373, would go a long way in resolving the on-going conflict about wind energy in Cherry County and elsewhere. The bill requires counties that wish to host wind energy facility to have zoning regulations that address wind energy. Right now, the choice to have this zoning is left up to the county. I don’t think this should be an option for counties that want wind energy and Cherry County provides an excellent example of why I feel this way.

The county’s repeated failure to adopt zoning regulations for wind energy causes the citizens that are concerned about wind energy to feel like they don’t have a voice. Ignored people quickly become angry people. They are forced to file lawsuits so they can finally be heard. LB 373 makes wind energy zoning mandatory. Creating a new county zoning regulation is a very public process that provides numerous opportunities for everyone to participate regardless of their position on the subject. No one can say their voice wasn’t heard.
I hope this lawsuit provides the wake-up call the county commissioners need to finally address this issue and start healing the terrible rift wind energy is causing all over rural Nebraska.

Please contact my office with any comments, questions or concerns. Email me at tbrewer@leg.ne.gov, mail a letter to Sen. Tom Brewer, Room #1423, P.O. Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509, or call us at (402) 471-2628.

Senator Tom Brewer
43rd District
7-12-2019

“America was never that great.” Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York, August 16, 2018

Mr. Cuomo isn’t the only prominent person I’ve heard say things like this. I’m deeply troubled by it. I’m also very confident he and the other disgraceful socialists he represents are the tiny minority of our population. I never thought that I would live to see the day where being anti-American was in style; where displays of American patriotism were criticized.

We’re a free country and people have a constitutionally protected right to spew whatever anti-American crap they want. But I thought that having just celebrated our nation’s 243rd birthday, now would be a good time to recall just a few reasons why the United States of American is the best country on Earth.

1. We spent generations of American blood and treasure on every corner of the globe saving countless millions of people from tyranny. The USA has brought about the end of more murderous dictators and oppressive regimes than every other country combined.

2. We’re the world’s oldest continuous republic. No country does a better job of spreading freedom and democracy than we do. America has lifted the cruel yoke of bloodthirsty tyrants off the neck of countless millions of people around the world, and then re-built their countries for them – no charge.

3. There is always something more that can be done to continue improving race relations, but let’s be clear on one thing: We are the least racist country on Earth. We fought a war amongst ourselves where over 600,000 people died to end the scourge of slavery and secure the blessings of liberty and the American dream for ALL Americans regardless of race. No other country on Earth has bled more for its own people, or has done more for basic human rights than we have.

4. Our constitution is as close to a perfect form of government the hand of man has thus far managed to accomplish in recorded human history. Nothing else on Earth has guarded the freedom and individual rights of a people, or lay the foundation for such unparalleled human prosperity than our constitution.

5. American ingenuity and productivity leads the world. We’re also the world’s most charitable and generous country. We invented the internet, life-saving surgery, the cotton gin, the electric light, cures to countless diseases. No other country has left a flag on the moon. There isn’t room in this newspaper for the complete list of wonderful things America has given the human race and it gets longer every day.

Mr. Cuomo, and the others who think America is a bad place, need to love it, or leave it.

Please contact my office with any comments, questions or concerns. Email me at tbrewer@leg.ne.gov, mail a letter to Sen. Tom Brewer, Room #1423, P.O. Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509, or call us at (402) 471-2628.

Senator Tom Brewer
43rd District
7-5-2019

Various property tax bills and ideas were debated in the legislature during the last session. Senator Groene and Linehan’s LB 289 drew the most attention. It would have begun the long, hard process of reforming how we pay for K–12 education in Nebraska, and it would have delivered some much-needed property tax relief. It would have been a good start. Unfortunately, the ideological composition of the body, combined with the enormous pressure brought to bear by a legion of well-funded lobbyists, was just too much to overcome. The bill died during floor debate.

The Platte Institute for Economic Research will host a Property Tax Reform Town Hall in North Platte this month. It will be held at the Prairie Arts Center, 416 North Jeffers Street, from 5:30 to 7:00pm on Thursday, July 25th. Senators Groene, Linehan, and Lowe are scheduled to speak. They will discuss LB 289 and other proposals to provide property tax reform. I applaud the Platte Institute for hosting this conversation. I think it is a smart idea to have these town hall meetings to inform the public before the next session. I plan to attend this meeting, and I encourage everyone to join us. Finding a legislative solution to Nebraska’s destructive property taxes is the right thing to do and is something every Nebraskan has a stake in.

While this meeting is going on, people from the property tax ballot initiative will be set up and collecting signatures nearby. They will be working on a “people’s solution” to this problem. In my tenure in the Legislature, I’ve seen first-hand the body’s repeated inability to get anything done on property taxes. Not enough of my colleagues seem to really understand the heartache out there among farmers and ranchers just trying to make it in Nebraska. This is why I believe both a legislative solution and a “people’s solution” to the property tax crisis must move forward together in tandem. I believe the two efforts are joined at the hip and all 49 senators should support both.

When elected officials are deadlocked, there has to be some way for the public to force them to do their jobs. Thank God the good citizens of Nebraska had the wisdom in 1912 to put the ballot initiative process in our constitution. We are one of only 21 states where the people have such power. Through the ballot initiative process, the voters can commit the state to a course of action, regardless of what the politicians think. Unless the Legislature is convinced the “people’s solution” to the property tax problem is imminent, I think senators will continue to suffer from a lack of motivation on this issue no matter how many town hall meetings we attend or mountains of bills we introduce. I hope people take a little time and sign the petition.

Please contact my office with any comments, questions or concerns. Email me at tbrewer@leg.ne.gov, mail a letter to Sen. Tom Brewer, Room #1423, P.O. Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509, or call us at (402) 471-2628.

Senator Tom Brewer
43rd District
6-14-2019

In a recent weekly update, I explained some of the things I managed to get passed into law this past session. This week, I want to talk about some of the things I helped stop from becoming law. Things a senator opposes are just as important as the things they support. This shows the people whether the senator’s values and core beliefs align with the majority of the district. I have watched this legislature change people. They say one thing to get elected, and then end up doing another once they are here. It is as common as it is despicable, so I want people to know that I am the same person they elected.

I helped oppose a bill that would have taken Second Amendment rights away from Nebraskans based on hearsay accusations and without due process of law. I was strongly against two bills that would have made it a crime of child abuse to provide Christian counseling to a child relating to same-sex attraction. I helped stop a bill that would have redefined the terms of traditional marriage in Nebraska law.

I opposed a bill that would have raised the minimum wage for tipped workers. Many believe they are helping poor people by doing this. They ignore the fact that every single time government raises the minimum wage, the very same people they intend to help are the ones that are hurt. Every single time the minimum wage goes up, increases always follow in the unemployment rate for young and inexperienced workers just trying to enter the workforce.

I opposed the ImagiNE Nebraska Act. It was a $150M per year package of business tax incentives meant to replace the Nebraska Advantage Act which will expire next year. This bill is right about one thing: it is about “imagining.” It allows government to pick winners and losers and imagine that Nebraska isn’t a state with shockingly high taxation. I’m all for reducing EVERYONE’s taxes, but there was just no way I could vote for this, especially when it jumped the line and was placed ahead of property tax relief on the legislative agenda. I will not put anything before property tax relief, and neither should my colleagues.

We filibustered and stopped the medical marijuana bill this session. The experience of many other states has clearly demonstrated that the commercialization and retail sale of marijuana and related products has a long list of bad effects on society.

I expect that many of these bad proposals will be back next year. I will be ready to stand up for the values of the 43rd Legislative District the voters hired me to fight for.

Please contact my office with any comments, questions or concerns. Email me at tbrewer@leg.ne.gov, mail a letter to Sen. Tom Brewer, Room #1423, P.O. Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509, or call us at (402) 471-2628.

Senator Tom Brewer
43rd District
6-7-2019

Local control.

It is a sacred philosophy in Nebraska. It’s the best way to handle things that are peculiar and unique to a given place, like a town or a county or a school district. Most of the time, the more local government is, the better it is.

This week I had back surgery, so I asked my legislative aide to attend a county planning commission meeting in Valentine. The subject of the meeting was a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) application that has been made by a wind energy developer. They are proposing a 19-turbine project in northwest Cherry County. At the four-hour meeting, 30 people testified, 25 of whom were in opposition to the project. The way that wind energy development has progressed has troubled me greatly, most especially in the Sandhills.

The one aspect of wind energy that has always bothered me the most is what it does to the fabric of a community. It rips it apart, which is exactly what it is doing in the Sandhills. The animosity it has created between friends, neighbors and family members is very sad and is getting worse. The planning commission missed three different opportunities to begin healing this rift.

First, it was pointed out that by county rules, one of the commission members had a conflict of interest and should recuse themselves from further proceedings. The person chose not to vote or participate in the discussion, but they remained on the commission.

Second, there was a motion to table the issue in order to further study the question of decommissioning. The motion failed.

Third, twenty-five different people testified and brought a substantial amount of information for the commission to consider. They might have tabled the issue for a subsequent meeting so it could have a chance to think about all the concerns they had heard and read and consider the mountain of evidence that had been presented. Instead, the board voted 4–3 to approve and advance the CUP to the County Board of Commissioners.

The 93 counties in Nebraska were created by the Legislature. That is where all the county powers come from. When they are not responsive to their residents, it is the role of the Legislature to act. Sometimes it has not set the proper guardrails on local government.

This meeting provided an excellent example of why we need to pass my bill, LB 373. It requires counties wishing to host industrial wind energy facilities to enact zoning regulations that address many of the concerns that were ignored at this meeting. The voices of all local residents should be heard and considered.

Please contact my office with any comments, questions or concerns. Email me at tbrewer@leg.ne.gov, mail a letter to Sen. Tom Brewer, Room #1423, P.O. Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509, or call us at (402) 471-2628.

Senator Tom Brewer
43rd District
5-31-2019

The first session of the 106th legislature has adjourned “Sine Die.” We quit six days early. Normally the motion to adjourn is a simple “yea or nay” voice vote. This year, several of us requested a roll call vote before adjourning for the year. I don’t think we should have adjourned early without addressing the number one issue facing Nebraska – property taxes. Only eight of my colleagues agreed with me.

In spite of this, I was able to get 14 out of 23 bills passed that I introduced this session. I am blessed to have such an effective team and couldn’t have done it without them.

It should come as no surprise to my constituents that I am motivated to work on bills that encourage and enable Nebraskans to serve honorably in the military. LB 152 provides stronger legal protections for sensitive personnel information for National Guard members serving in a law enforcement support role. LB 575 requires that public schools give military recruiters the same access to students at job fairs and other events as is provided to other employers and colleges. LB 156 creates a legal process for titling surplus military vehicles for use on state roadways.

The 43rd District is the most rural district in Nebraska, and that means that we face challenges that city dwellers never have to think about. My priority bill, LB 155, protects non-participating property owners by creating a new way to challenge eminent domain takings used by industrial wind energy projects. LB 374 updated an old law about falconry and provides another option for problem bird abatement at airports. LB 660 updated the laws concerning the Brand Committee.

As a legislator with Native American roots, I also worked with my colleagues to pass LB 154, which directs the Nebraska State Patrol to investigate and report on the epidemic of missing Native American women and children.

As chairman of the Government, Military & Veterans Affairs Committee, our committee election package included three of my bills: the Secretary of State’s election law update (LB 246), an increase to the fine amount for campaign ethics and public corruption violations (LB 280), and a change to the meeting requirements for a Metropolitan Utility District (LB 574).

LB 212, which I introduced as a Government Committee bill, will ensure that rural representatives in certain public bodies can participate in more meetings remotely. LB 375 will allow the Nebraska Historical Society to accept and preserve more donated historical collections. LB 505 streamlines how child support payments flow through the courts and the State Treasurer’s office.

Finally, I worked with Coach Tom Osborne, TeamMates, and Mentor Nebraska to pass LB 511, which will allow state government employees to adjust their work schedules to allow an hour each week for volunteer mentoring with at-risk children and teens.

Not all of these bills are glamorous, but my job is to help make government in Nebraska serve the people better. I think each of these bills makes progress on that.

Please contact my office with any comments, questions or concerns. Email me at tbrewer@leg.ne.gov, mail a letter to Sen. Tom Brewer, Room #1423, P.O. Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509, or call us at (402) 471-2628.