More Effective, More Efficient Government

January 27, 2017 Leave a comment


By Governor Pete Ricketts

More efficient.  More effective.  More customer-focused.  These are three principles that make up the heart and soul of my administration’s mission.  In the past, I have shared with you some of the ways we have been working to transform the culture of state government to better serve the taxpayer and grow Nebraska.  From launching a first-in-the-nation reemployment program to help Nebraskans get back to work more quickly to improving services at the Department of Health and Human Services, we have made tremendous progress.  But our work is not done.

 

To focus my entire team on our mission of making government more effective, efficient, and customer-focused, I launched a workforce development initiative which was completed by the beginning of this year.  Through this initiative, all 12,000 team members in my agencies learned basic process improvement skills, which will help our team at the State of Nebraska focus on streamlining and structuring state services to help grow Nebraska.  This training encourages everyone who works in my agencies to always ask the question: How do I provide a higher level of service while bringing costs down?

 

Process improvement activities have been common in the business world for decades, but Nebraska is on the cutting edge when it comes to applying them in state government.  Process improvement activities have led to shorter call wait times at ACCESSNebraska, quicker processing for developmental disabilities applications, and faster permit delivery for the Department of Environmental Quality.  In all these cases, we utilized existing resources to improve service, and are now finding ways to reinvest savings and efficiencies to provide an even higher level of service to Nebraskans.  My administration has set up the Center for Operational Excellence to lead additional process improvement activities throughout state government to make sure all the agencies in my administration are working for you.

 

In addition to initiatives led by my office, I am also working with the Legislature this session to make government more efficient and more effective.  Recently, Government Committee Chairman John Murante and I announced a merger of our Division of Veterans Homes with the Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs.  A single agency will create a one-stop shop for services for Nebraska’s veterans and will forge a single, united team working for the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our state and country. 

 

Transportation Committee Chairman Curt Friesen and I are also working to merge the Department of Roads and the Department of Aeronautics into a new Department of Transportation.  A united agency will help Nebraska take a more strategic, long-term view of our state’s transportation needs.  It will also create efficiencies, which will allow us to put more money into runways and roads without sacrificing jobs. 

 

Finally, the Legislature and I are teaming up to do away with restrictive requirements for occupational licenses, so we can expand jop opportunities for Nebraskans.  Working with my agencies in preparation for the session, we were able to identify areas where Nebraska’s licensing requirements were onerous or out-of-step with other states.  Unnecessary licensing restrictions are a barrier to Nebraskans seeking careers in licensed professions, and especially to those who may be looking for a career change or upward mobility.  Eight senators and I are partnering together on proposals to get rid of unnecessary regulations to make it easier for everyone from car salespeople, barbers, and cosmetologists to audiologists and massage therapists to start working.  Thank you to Senators Albrecht, Craighead, Erdman, Geist, Larson, Lindstrom, Lowe, and Riepe for helping to cut red tape!

 

While merging state agencies and breaking down barriers to good-paying jobs may sound like common sense steps, special interests are already assembling to oppose some of these measures.  Throughout the legislative session, I encourage you to stay in touch with your state senator—they want to hear directly from you.  You can find all their contact information by visiting www.NebraskaLegislature.gov.  Additionally, if you have thoughts or concerns you would like to share with my office, I hope you will contact me at pete.ricketts@nebraska.gov or 402-471-2244.

Governor Pete Ricketts

Governor Pete Ricketts

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Senator Brasch Gives Last Legislative Update of Session

April 26, 2016 Leave a comment


This is my last legislative update of the session. Wednesday, April 20 was the final day of the 104th Legislative Session. We adjourned Sine Die (Latin for “without day”), meaning “without assigning a day for a further meeting or hearing.” The last day of the second session of a biennium is more ceremonial in recent years because of term limits.  It is not only a time to debate and vote on motions of gubernatorial overrides, but also for farewell speeches by term-limited senators. I, myself, will be term-limited in two years. There were 11 senators who said their goodbyes and bid the rest Godspeed. There are another 14 current members up for re-election, where three are unopposed. Next year, the Legislature will elect a new speaker, new committee chairmen, and could potentially welcome 22 new senators.

A motion was made to override the Governor’s veto of LB947. After two hours of debate, thirty-one senators voted to override the veto; thirteen, including me, voted to sustain the veto; five abstained from voting.

My opposition to LB947, and to uphold the Governor’s veto, is from the high regard I hold our immigration laws, especially as a daughter of Ukrainian, legal immigrants. Many others, sharing this same sentiment, called or emailed and referenced their ancestry and other generations of legal immigrants. As of 2013, exactly 123,182 legal immigrants made Nebraska their home, many with extended family waiting patiently to join them through the legal process. There are exactly 4,422,600 foreigners waiting to legally immigrate to the United States. The American Dream was not created through lawlessness, but through a just and stable law. The passage of LB947 sends the wrong message to individuals and families who, out of deference and fairness, abide by our laws and wait to enter our country legally.

Nebraska’s LB947 allows anyone who is work authorized to obtain a professional or commercial license. Many individuals who entered the United States illegally are now work authorized via President Obama’s expansion of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) program. As of 2012, it is estimated there are approximately 55,000 illegal immigrants in Nebraska. President Obama’s expansion of DACA, and the implementation of DAPA, are what 26 states, including Nebraska, sued the Federal Government over. A Federal District Court judge in Texas initially blocked the program, and a federal appeals court ruled 2-1 in favor of the injunction. The Supreme Court will submit its opinion in June.

These two programs were implemented via executive orders and therefore can be undone via executive orders. To prevent such inconstant and impulsive lawmaking, America’s Founding Fathers divided authority. A foundational principle of the U.S. Constitution is separation of powers: laws are not passed by one person in this country, not even by one branch. If Congress, elected by the people, is deadlocked on an issue and chooses not to act, that does not give the President the authority to act independently. If the people elect divided government, then that is final until the next election. Either we will have rule of law and therefore a stable government, or we start down the road of anarchy. Unfortunately, our immigration predicaments are a result of a decades-long negligence of duty by the Federal Government to not secure our borders and enforce immigration laws.

LB947 puts Nebraska far beyond other states, even California and New York, in terms of issuing professional or commercial licenses to illegal immigrants of every profession. In Iowa, professional licensing boards issue commercial and professional licenses if a person issues a valid social security number. California offers professional or commercial licenses in over 50 professions to individuals, regardless of their immigration status. New York offers licenses for 53 different professions to only DACA recipients. Illinois and Florida allow DACA recipients to receive a license to practice law. Lastly, Nevada grants only a teaching license to DACA recipients. After the passage of LB947, Nebraska now grants professional or commercial licenses to any person – including those who are waiting to be approved for asylum – with work authorization for over 170 professions who might not have been educated in Nebraska or even our country.

Please contact me; my administrative aide, Katie Wattermann; or my legislative aide, Brett Waite, with questions or concerns at (402) 471-2728 or by email at lbrasch@leg.ne.gov; or stop by Room 1016 in the Capitol.

Senator Lydia Brasch

Senator Lydia Brasch

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Legislative Session Progresses

March 21, 2016 Leave a comment


By Governor Pete Ricketts

The legislative session is moving quickly.  It seems like it was only a few weeks ago when I outlined the top priorities to work on with the Legislature in my State of the State address.  Working together, we have made progress on a number of key issues.  With only a few weeks left, however, there is still much to accomplish before session adjourns and senators return home.  A significant amount of work on top priorities like tax relief, infrastructure funding, and balancing the budget is yet to come.

 

At the opening of session, I designated property tax relief as my number one priority.  Wherever I travel, I continually hear from Nebraskans who feel the pain of our state’s high property taxes.  Earlier this session, I testified at two hearings in support of property tax bills, which have been a collaborative effort between Senators Gloor and Sullivan and my administration.  Nebraskans at those hearings confirmed the need for more property tax relief, and also provided feedback on how we could improve the bills.

 

Following the hearings, the senators, their committees, and I have continued to work to make adjustments to these bills.  After much discussion, the Revenue and Education Committees and I have agreed upon proposed amendments to the property tax relief bills.  These amendments do three major things: First, they provide additional targeted direct property tax relief for ag land property taxpayers.  Second, they limit the carryover of unused restricted funds by community colleges to three percent.  Third, they make changes to our state’s education funding formula to enhance local accountability in our school districts.

 

Because the amendment to LB958 contains significant changes from the original version, the Revenue Committee will hold a new hearing on the proposed amendment on March 24, 2016 at 2:00pm at the Nebraska State Capitol.  Nebraskans are invited to attend the hearing to give their feedback on the new proposed amendment.  If you are not able to attend and would still like to testify, you are welcome to submit your written testimony to the Revenue Committee by emailing kdelka@leg.ne.gov.  Written testimony must be submitted before the hearing to be included in the official record.

 

In addition to property tax relief, we have been working with the Appropriations Committee on the Transportation Innovation Act (TIA), a bill that makes targeted investments to accelerate expressway construction and bridge repair.  These targeted investments utilize existing sources of revenue, including a $50 million cash reserve transfer and unprogrammed motor vehicle fuel tax revenue.  After advancing from committee unanimously, the TIA successfully passed the first round of debate with overwhelming support.  There are two more rounds of debate on the TIA before it can reach my desk for approval.

 

As always, my administration is also working to hold the line on the rate of growth in spending.  Recently, the Appropriations Committee advanced a budget from committee that holds the line on spending similar to the responsible rate proposed in my budget.  Holding the line on the rate of growth in spending is critical to ensuring that the Legislature and I can continue to provide tax relief in the coming years.

 

As the session continues, my administration will continue to work with the Legislature to address these and other important priorities for hardworking Nebraskans.  If you want to share your thoughts on these bills or others with your senator, you can find all of the information you need to contact your senator by visiting www.NebraskaLegislature.gov.  To reach my office, you can call 402-471-2244, email pete.ricketts@nebraska.gov, or follow me on Twitter @GovRicketts and at facebook.com/GovernorPeteRicketts.

Governor Pete Ricketts

Governor Pete Ricketts

 

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Senator Brasch Calling for Legislative Page Applicants

September 16, 2014 Leave a comment


Senator Lydia Brasch is encouraging high school graduates from Legislative District 16 to apply for a legislative page position in the Unicameral. Since 2010, Senator Lydia Brasch has had the pleasure of working with legislative pages from District 16. “The experience these pages have in working with various members of the Legislature and committees is invaluable and brings lifelong rewards in many ways,” said Senator Brasch. “In visiting with previous legislative pages from District 16, they highly recommend this experience to their peers and continue to use the valuable skills they learned at the Legislature.”

 

The Clerk of the Legislature’s Office is accepting legislative page applications for the 2015 Legislative Session until 5:00 p.m. on October 3, 2014. According to the Office of the Clerk of the Legislature:

 

Requirements: Pages must be high school graduates who are currently enrolled in a Nebraska college or trade school with a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. They must be able to work 20 hours a week during session. It is preferred that they work the same four-hour shift each day. The legislative session will begin January 7, 2015, and go through June of 2015. This is a paid position and you may also be able to receive credit hours through your college.

 

To Apply: Applications are available through the Clerk of the Legislature’s Office, Room 2018, State Capitol, 1445 K Street, or through your state senator’s office. A page applicant is also encouraged to contact his or her home district state senator for a letter of recommendation.

 

Deadline: The page application deadline for the 2015 legislative session is by 5:00 p.m. on October 3, 2014. The page selection committee will meet in October to interview and select individuals to fill those positions to start January 7, 2015

 

Contact: For further information, please contact the Office of the Clerk of the Legislature at 402-471-2271 or Kitty Kearns at 402-471-0617 email: kkearns@leg.ne.gov.

Senator Brasch

Senator Brasch

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