TRUMP TO HOLD RALLY FOR HERBSTER ON FRIDAY IN GREENWOOD

OMAHA — Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster is getting the Nebraska visit he sought for months from former President Donald Trump late in a tightening GOP race.

Trump’s team announced Tuesday that Trump would appear at an April 29 rally at I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Nebraska, less than two weeks before the May 10 primary election.

The invitation to the Trump rally lists Herbster as Trump’s special guest speaker.

Herbster had been the clear favorite in the Republican governor’s primary for months since securing Trump’s endorsement in October. Polling in recent months shows a tightening three-way race between Herbster, University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen and State Sen. Brett Lindstrom.

This will be Trump’s first political rally in Nebraska since Oct. 27, 2020, when the president said he had rallied more than 29,000 people on the private side of Eppley Airfield in Omaha.

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LINDSTROM LEADING, BUT HE, HERBSTER, PILLEN HAVE PATHS TO WIN POLL FINDS

LINCOLN — Nebraska’s Republican race for governor is a tangle at the top, with three candidates essentially tied and a distant fourth perhaps positioned to play spoiler.

State Sen. Brett Lindstrom, Conklin Co. CEO Charles Herbster and University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen each registered between 24% and 28% support in a new third-party poll.

A Neilan Strategy Group poll indicated 28% support for Lindstrom, 26% for Herbster, 24% for Pillen and 6% for former State Sen. Theresa Thibodeau. The poll indicated 16% of voters were undecided. That puts the top three candidates within the poll’s 4.9% margin of error. It surveyed 858 likely Nebraska GOP primary voters on April 19-20 via text and telephone.

Because support for the top three fell within the margin of error, it’s hard to say for certain who’s leading. The poll’s results roughly mirrored a Lindstrom campaign poll from mid-April. That poll also found all three candidates within the margin of error. It indicated that Lindstrom and Pillen were tied at 27%, with Herbster at 23%. The Herbster and Pillen campaigns, when asked for comment after the Lindstrom poll, said they have seen the race tighten in internal polling, with different leaders, depending on the poll.

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THE CURRENT AFTERMATH OF GROPING CLAIMS AGAINST GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE CHARLES HERBSTER

LINCOLN- On Monday, April 18 state senators Tom Brewer, Steve Halloran, and Steve Erdman signed a letter that asked Nebraskans for their continued support of Herbster in the race for governor.

Nineteen others signed the letter as well, including various county GOP Chairs and former Omaha Mayor Hal Daub.

The letter remarked the timing of the allegations is "very curious," and ask why some women waited nearly three years to publicly accuse Herbster.

Gov. Pete Ricketts pushed back Monday against claims that the Republican “establishment” was to blame for allegations by eight women that they had been groped by gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster.

Herbster, a Falls City businessman endorsed by former President Donald Trump, fired back, calling the allegations “100% false” and an “unfounded, dirty political trick” inspired by the political “establishment,” carried out by Ricketts and the GOP candidate he has endorsed, University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen.

Ricketts was asked to respond during a press conference on a different subject, and said people should “read the story.”

The governor repeated his comments from last week that Herbster needs to apologize to the eight women, “seek help” and step out of the race for governor.

Two men and a woman put their names behind what they said they either saw directly or were told immediately afterward about Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster groping young women at political events.

All three said they were upset by Herbster’s denials of the behavior. They said they were also upset by how Herbster and some of his political allies have treated State Sen. Julie Slama since the Nebraska Examiner last week reported the allegations against Herbster.

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WESTERN NEBRASKA CASINOS IN WAITING GAME AS STATE EXPLORES ADDING NEW LICENSED HORSE TRACKS

NORTH PLATTE- LB876, which won 38-3 final approval in the Legislature, effectively puts new racetracks and associated casinos — including proposals for North Platte, Ogallala, Gering and Kimball — on hold while market and socioeconomic studies take place.

The bill signed by Gov. Pete Ricketts directs the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission to complete the studies “as soon as practicable” but no later than Jan. 1, 2025. Similar studies would be required every five years.

Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte said he considers LB876 “a way to keep the process moving forward” while heading off calls for a five- to seven-year moratorium on any new tracks.

“I am still not completely satisfied with the provisions in LB876 and will continue to work to fast-track North Platte’s proposed project,” he said. “I think there is a way to grow the racing industry responsibly while shortening the timeline for western Nebraska applications.”

Nebraska’s six existing horse tracks, meanwhile, are able to seek casino licenses once the Racing and Gaming Commission gets long-awaited regulations in place.

At that point, the six tracks — in Lincoln, Omaha, Grand Island, Columbus, South Sioux City and Hastings — are expected in varying degrees to move forward with construction of new facilities for casino operations.

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LATEST POLL SHOWS DEAD HEAT IN NEBRASKA'S GOP GOVERNOR'S RACE

OMAHA- Even before a bombshell week of news, Nebraska’s GOP race for governor was rounding into a three-way statistical tie likely to be decided by voters still making up their minds.

The Republican race lacks a favorite between Conklin Co. CEO Charles Herbster, University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen, and State Sen. Brett Lindstrom, according to a new campaign poll obtained by the Nebraska Examiner.

The Lindstrom campaign’s latest poll lists Lindstrom and Pillen tied at 27%. Lindstrom polled 7 points above his March numbers, despite facing six figures’ worth of anti-Lindstrom TV ads purchased with dark money.

Pillen’s polling numbers climbed 4 points since March, even though the Herbster campaign spent six figures’ worth of attack ads, including a recent ad questioning the environmental record of Pillen’s hog operation.

Herbster, long the frontrunner in the race, polled at 23%, down 7 points since March. He has also faced six figures in third-party ads, including some funded by Gov. Pete Ricketts, who backs Pillen.

The next closest candidate was Herbster’s former running mate, former State Sen. Theresa Thibodeau. She polled at 6%, up from 3% in March.

The poll indicated that 12% of likely GOP voters remained undecided.

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VOTER REGISTRATIONS SHIFT FROM DEMOCRAT TO REPUBLICAN IN RECENT WEEKS

LINCOLN- Between March 1 and April 1, registered Republicans grew by 1,985 voters while Democrats lost 1,787.

That number could make a difference in a close primary race, said political consultant Perre Neilan, pointing out that Gov. Pete Ricketts won his first GOP gubernatorial primary, in a six-way race, by only 2,300 votes.

The University of Nebraska at Omaha political science professor Randy Adkins said that “savvy Democrats” probably realize that the race for governor will be decided in the GOP primary and that they may have the motivation to switch if there’s a clear difference between the candidates.

Former State Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha, who switched from Republican to Democrat to run for governor in 2018 against Ricketts, recently switched back to the GOP.

Krist said that statistically speaking, the winner of the GOP primary has become the governor in Nebraska, so changing parties was a way to have an influence on the race.

He said he’s voting for Lindstrom, with whom he served in the State Legislature because Lindstrom is a “consensus seeker” and the only qualified candidate.

He added that Lindstrom’s politics are more moderate than either of the other front-runners in the Republican race, Falls City businessman Charles Herbster and University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen.

Lancaster County Election Commissioner Dave Shively said it’s not unusual for voters to change party registrations ahead of a primary election.

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BRAD ASHFORD REMEMBERED FOR NONPARTISANSHIP, WORKING ACROSS THE AISLE

LINCOLN — It’s been said that Brad Ashford could have trouble finding his car in the parking lot at the State Capitol.

But when it came to finding solutions to some of the biggest issues confronting the state and his hometown of Omaha — from gun control, to immigration, to sales taxes and funding a new arena — Ashford often found a way.

The former state senator and U.S. congressional representative died Tuesday from complications of brain cancer. He was 72.

Ashford, an Omaha native, served two eight-year stints in the Nebraska Legislature and two years in the House of Representatives.

He led an agency that worked on behalf of Omaha's poorest and most diverse populations and guided students in the art of public-private partnerships and collaboration.

Those who knew him to say he will be remembered for using his enthusiasm and nonpartisanship to bring political parties and opposing camps together on issues.

Ashford was a registered Republican, then a Democrat, then an independent, and in 2013 registered again as a Democrat.

Earlier this year, after being given his cancer diagnosis, Ashford said “one must never give up hope.’

“There is always hope,” he said. “We have work to do. We need a new attitude. Solutions over politics, our kids deserve that of us.”

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BATTLE OVER FEDERAL RENTAL AID TO NEBRASKA STIRS UP AGAIN

LINCOLN- The battle reignited Friday over whether Nebraska should accept more federal emergency rental aid, with the U.S. Treasury Department stepping into the fray.

Deputy Treasury Secretary Adewale Adeyemo wrote a letter to Gov. Pete Ricketts, expressing his disappointment and urging the governor to draw down on the $120 million accounts Congress had set aside for Nebraska on behalf of “tens of thousands” of households in need of assistance.

Adeyemo said many of Nebraska’s state legislators, leaders, and housing advocates have underscored the “significant need … especially in rural areas and small communities that do not have access to other rental assistance programs within the state.”

“That need clearly exists in Nebraska,” Adeyemo wrote. “According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, 21% of Nebraska renters are extremely low income, and 65% of this group are severely cost-burdened.”

A Ricketts spokeswoman said Friday afternoon that the governor had received the correspondence and planned to respond next week with his own letter “reiterating that this reckless federal spending is the cause of inflation, not the solution.”

The governor has stood firm for months on his refusal to accept the funds. He has said that the pandemic storm is over and that Nebraska should guard against becoming a “welfare state.”

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LOTS AT STAKE AS BIDS ARE SOUGHT FOR MEDICAID PROGRAM, BUT LAWMAKERS OPTIMISTIC

LINCOLN - The search began Monday, April 18 for entities that will best deliver health care benefits to hundreds of thousands of Nebraskans served by Medicaid.

Lawmakers say they appear to be on a better track this time after the recent costly bidding mistake involving the state's child welfare system contract.

“There is still a ways to go here,” said State Sen. John Arch of La Vista, chairman of the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee. “But I think it is heading in the right direction.”

Arch, who headed the special legislative study on the St. Francis situation, said he was encouraged that DHHS officials spent time more recently on “listening sessions” that gathered feedback about Heritage Health.

State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha said lessons have been learned in the wake of the state's acceptance of an extremely low bid from St. Francis Ministries for child welfare services that ultimately cost the state.

Although Cavanaugh remains cautious, she said state senators received assurances from the administrators handling Medicaid that a contract would not "automatically" go to the lowest bidder.

“I don’t, at this point, have reason to think they won’t be diligent,” she said of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Administrative Services, which handles state contracts.

Nebraska Medicaid announced Monday that it began to solicit bids from entities interested in providing health care benefits for the 340,000 low-income and disabled Nebraskans enrolled in Medicaid. The contract would last at least five years.

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NEBRASKA GOP PICKS FLOOD TO FACE PANSING BROOKS IN JUNE 28TH SPECIAL ELECTION

LINCOLN- This June’s special election to finish out the last six months of former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry’s term has a Republican nominee: former Speaker of the Legislature Mike Flood.

The executive committee of the Nebraska Republican Party, about 30 Republicans from across the state, chose Flood Saturday to take on fellow State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, a Democrat.

Flood handily beat Air Force retiree John Glen Weaver, 24-5.

Flood, in a letter and a brief speech to the committee members, watching in person and online, said the focus needs to be firing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat.

He highlighted his business experience and his work in the Legislature cutting taxes and fighting abortion, which he said is closer now to being made illegal than it has been in decades.

“It is urgent that we nominate a Republican candidate who can win the upcoming special election, win in May and November and help Republicans take back the House,” Flood wrote.

Flood challenged Fortenberry after federal prosecutors charged the nine-term GOP congressman with lying to the FBI about illegal foreign campaign funds raised for his campaign. 

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HERBSTER CAMPAIGN, CONSULTING FIRM LOOKING FOR RESOLUTION IN LEGAL FIGHT, LAWYER SAYS

LINCOLN- Attorneys for a Nebraska consulting firm and the gubernatorial campaign of Charles W. Herbster are working quickly to resolve a legal fight involving allegations that the campaign improperly ended the firm’s services and owes money, according to a lawyer involved in the case.

Herbster’s campaign retained political consulting firm EZ Politix under a contract for Dec. 1, 2020, to May 10 of this year at a rate of $12,500 a month, according to a copy filed in court. The contract was signed by a campaign representative and Andrew Northwall, who was then president of EZ Politix.

Last August, EZ Politix sued the Herbster campaign. The campaign filed a countersuit in January. State Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha, a lawyer who’s representing EZ Politix in the case, said Tuesday that the parties were looking to resolve the lawsuit quickly.

Wayne didn’t offer further details. The Herbster campaign did not respond to multiple requests for an update on the case. According to court records, neither party appeared for a court hearing in March.

The company asked for $37,500, plus damages. 

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GOVERNOR WOULD GET 'QUICK ACTION FUND' TO CLOSE DEALS UNDER BILL ADVANCED THURSDAY

LINCOLN - A Nebraska governor would have a “quick action” fund to help close deals on new “high impact” businesses or expansions of companies under a bill given narrow, first-round approval Thursday, April 7.

State Sen. Brett Lindstrom, the sponsor of the bill, said the governor of Oklahoma has used its "quick action closing fund" to finalize multimillion-dollar business deals.  

Roughly $14 million has been dolled out to seven companies over the past decade, $3 million of which helped convince General Electric to build a $125 million research center.

Lindstrom said the closing fund could be another method for the governor to expand and recruit businesses.

“We have no other way to close the deal,” he said. 

Some senators were concerned with the possibility that such a fund could give a governor a chance to hand out political favors. 

“Giving this discretion to the governor really turns this into a political football,” said Henderson Sen. Curt Friesen. 

Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, who chairs the Legislature's Revenue Committee, said it would give the governor added flexibility to close a deal when the Legislature was not in session.

Under LB729, a study of the businesses' impact on job growth would be conducted prior to the governor being able to provide funds. 

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CONCEALED CARRY HANDGUN BILL COMES UP TWO VOTES SHORT AND FAILS TO ADVANCE

LINCOLN — In a surprise, state lawmakers failed to muster enough votes Monday to advance a concealed carry handgun bill, called “constitutional carry” by some.

33 votes are required to invoke cloture, stop a filibuster, and advance a bill. Legislative Bill 773 fell two votes short by a vote of 31-9 with four fewer senators voting in favor than the number who supported advancing the bill from first-round debate. 

“To say that I’m disappointed is an understatement,” said State Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon, who has made passing the bill a priority during his six years in office.

The bill would have allowed Nebraskans to carry a concealed weapon without first obtaining a $100 state permit, undergoing a criminal background check, and passing a gun safety class.

In tandem with the Omaha police union and police department, Brewer had worked to negotiate a compromise on LB773 after they expressed concern about the bill watering down existing gun control ordinances in the state's largest city and complicating their job of reducing gun violence.

The proposed compromise would have allowed Omaha to maintain an ordinance that requires handguns to be registered. It would also have allowed for the continued prosecution of the crime "carrying a concealed handgun" if a concealed gun was used in a long list of "covered offenses."

However, the National Rifle Association urged a vote in opposition to the amendment, calling it a discriminatory attempt to place Omaha's extreme firearm registration requirement into state law."

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CHARLES HERBSTER ADDS ANOTHER $4.2 MILLION OF HIS OWN MONEY TO HIS CAMPAIGN WARCHEST

OMAHA — Charles Herbster has continued largely self-funding his bid for the Republican governor’s nomination in Nebraska, giving his campaign $4.2 million in the first quarter of 2022. Individual donors and groups gave him $113,000 over the same span.

Of the $9.2 million in Herbster's campaign funds, $8.9 million of the total had been personally funded as of April 5. A combined $313,000 came from individual donors and groups. 

University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen had raised nearly $2.4 million from individuals and groups in the first quarter of 2022. By April 5, he had raised a total of $7.7 million with only $1 million being personally funded. 

State Sen. Brett Lindstrom reportedly raised $420,000 in the first quarter of 2022 which pushed him over the $2 million mark in early April.

Former State Sen. Theresa Thibodeau raised $159,000 in the first quarter and personally contributed another $10,000. This put her at a combined total of $287,000 by April 5.

The most well-known Democrat in the governor's race, State Sen. Carol Blood, raised $50,000 in the first quarter of 2022 and totaled $124,000. In light of her campaign funds, she has a relatively easy primary race as a Democrat. 

Nebraska’s primary election is on May 10. Early voting is underway.

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NEBRASKA LEGISLATIVE BILL TO REQUIRE COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY CLASSWORK FOR GRADUATION

LINCOLN — In Arkansas, enrollment in technology-related college courses increased 10-fold after the state passed a requirement that school kids pass computer-related classes.

“Now, they have companies moving there because they have skilled workers,” said Mike Cassling, the CEO of an Omaha health care tech firm. 

Cassling is among advocates for a bill that passed on Tuesday, April 12 that provides for increases in computer technology courses.  The bill would require graduates of Nebraska high schools to pass at least one five-credit-hour course in computer science or technology.

He said Nebraska has a workforce "crisis," marked by a workforce shortage of 4,000 in the tech sector and is expected to rise to 10,000 by 2026. 

The shortage is comprised of more than just computer programmers, such as cybersecurity workers, and skilled employees who can run automated manufacturing systems and manage high-tech agricultural operations. 

On Tuesday, state senators gave 33-11 final approval to Legislative Bill 1112, the Computer Science and Technology Act. The bill gives schools until the 2024-25 school year to implement computer science and technology classes into their curriculum.

While some senators argued that the bill is an "unfunded mandate," others said it was necessary to ensure that Nebraska and Nebraskans are not left behind in the future. 

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LEGISLATURE TAKES RARE STEP OF REJECTING RICKETTS' PICK FOR NEBRASKA BRAND BOARD

LINCOLN — Continued turmoil over switching the way cattle are branded and identified translated Tuesday, April 12 into the rare rejection of an appointment by Gov. Pete Ricketts.

The Nebraska Legislature voted 35-0 in agreement with a committee recommendation to reject the confirmation of Terry Cone to another term on the Nebraska Brand Committee.

In addition to overseeing the identification of cattle and investigating lost or stolen cattle, State brand inspectors ensure the identification of livestock at feedlots and sale barns.

Chair of the Legislature's Agricultural Committee, State Sen. Steve Halloran, told the body Tuesday there had been a "deterioration of trust" with the Brand Committee. This apparently worsened after the committee chose to close to the public a meeting to discuss the implementation of "e-inspection."

Electronic identification and inspection of cattle was a newly implemented alternative to the traditional brands that are required in the western two-thirds of the state. 

Halloran's comments come after Cone was among board members who voted to close a recent subcommittee meeting, counter to the "transparency" the committee had pledged to the Legislature. 

“It is not a pleasant task,” Halloran told legislators Tuesday, in asking them to reject the confirmation of Cone, who has a long history of civic involvement and cattle feeding in the Burwell and Ord areas. 

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BIG LAKE, PERKINS COUNTY CANAL, INVESTMENTS IN NORTH AND SOUTH OMAHA GET FINAL OK

LINCOLN — A 4,000-acre lake between Omaha and Lincoln, a water-preserving canal on the South Platte River, and a $335-million investment in North and South Omaha all got a final green light Tuesday, April 12 from the Nebraska Legislature.

They were among nearly 100 bills given final-round approval by state lawmakers as they worked to finish up the 2022 session. 

The manager of a sand-and-gravel mining operation said it would take "a lot of work and a lot of time" to turn a large portion of the Platte River floodplain into a 4,000-acre recreation lake southwest of Gretna. 

Randy Bienhoff of Broadfoot's Sand & Gravel Corp. said, "they'd have plenty of sand for beaches."

In regard to the duration necessary to make the lake, Bienhoff said it depends on a lot of factors such as how many dredges and excavators are utilized, and whether there's a home for all the sand and gravel that's removed. 

Legislative Bill 1023 will allocate $20 million toward planning and permitting for such a lake. Supporters of the lake are hoping a location east of Linoma Beach, on either side of U.S. Highway 2, will be the final landing place.

State Sen. Mike Hilgers of Lincoln, a major proponent of the lake, said the study will determine whether the big lake, through a public-private partnership, is feasible. Once an exact location is picked, he said, then it will be determined whether landowners will willingly sell their property. 

The idea for the lake was spurred by a study of Nebraska's tourism needs by a special state legislative committee called STARWARS— the Statewide Tourism and Recreational Water Access and Resource Sustainability Special Committee. 

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RICKETTS OFFICIALLY SIGNS 'HISTORIC' TAX CUT BILL INTO LAW, CREDITS TEAMWORK

LINCOLN- Gov. Pete Ricketts took a victory lap Wednesday with supporters as he signed into law a comprehensive tax cut bill that is projected to provide $948 million in tax breaks a year by 2028.

During a ceremony in the State Capitol Rotunda, Ricketts said Legislative Bill 873 would add up to $3.4 billion in cumulative tax relief by 2027. 

“It takes a lot of folks to get a historic bill like this over the finish line,” he said, as 25 state senators, along with legislative staffers and representatives of major business and farm groups looked on. 

Opponents, led by State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha, said the tax cuts primarily benefited wealthy Nebraskans and out-of-state corporations and granted no income tax breaks for couples earning less than about $60,000 a year. 

Only Iowa, among Nebraska’s neighbors, has a higher top rate. But the Hawkeye State recently moved to reduce its state income taxes to 3.9%.

Under LB 873, Nebraska’s top income tax rate will drop to 5.84% after five years. In addition, the state’s top corporate income tax rate, now 7.81%, would fall to 5.84% by tax year 2027, which proponents said creates parity with small businesses.

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MED CENTER CONTINUES TO DRIVE LOCAL AND REGIONAL ECONOMY

OMAHA- In the past three years alone the economic impact of UNMC and Nebraska Medicine has increased by more than 30%.

The most recent study — conducted by third-party firm Tripp Umbach — shows that every state dollar invested in UNMC alone brings a 9.4-to-1 return. When you tally up our total combined economic impact between UNMC and its primary clinical partner, Nebraska Medicine, that ROI figure climbs to 36-to-1. When you add in the academic work (residency programs and clinical research, for example) of UNMC’s other clinical partners — Children’s Hospital & Medical Center and the VA Health System — that number climbs to 39-to-1.

 It’s an investment that pays big dividends.

The integrated enterprise, what Nebraskans dubbed the Med Center, grows Nebraska business volume in two ways: direct expenditures that support local businesses, which creates jobs; and indirect spending, as these businesses and their employees spend this money, creating additional jobs.

The latest numbers say UNMC and Nebraska Medicine had an employment impact of more than 56,050 in 2021. And the Med Center is the driving force behind $220.2 million in state and local tax revenue.

The past few years have not been easy on the Med Center or anyone for that fact. But the Med Center's ability to only grow in tough times is a testament to its unwavering support for research, development, and all Nebraskans. 

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BONUSES AND STREAMLINED TRANSFERS TRIED AS WAYS TO ADDRESS SHORTAGE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT RANKS

LINCOLN- Buffalo County Sheriff Neil Miller can remember the days when applicants to become sheriff’s deputies filled two rooms.

Today, he said he’ll be lucky to get six or seven applicants for the two openings he has in his agency of 35.

“I’m getting one-tenth of the applicants that we used to get eight to 10 years ago,” said Miller, who has served as sheriff in the central Nebraska county for 32 years.

To respond to what he calls “a crisis” in hiring and retention of law enforcement officers, the associations that represent police and sheriffs personnel banded together this year to push for help from the Nebraska Legislature.

The result is Legislative Bill 1241, introduced by State Sen. Steve Lathrop. The bill appears headed for final approval.

The proposal would streamline the process of allowing a certified law enforcement officer from another state to become certified and work in Nebraska.

Under an amendment to the bill from Elmwood Sen. Robert Clements, $10 million over the next two years would be set aside to provide hiring bonuses for those entering the law enforcement field and retention bonuses for those who remain in law enforcement.

Lathrop said the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee, which he chairs, heard plenty of testimony this year about the difficulty in hiring new recruits for law enforcement, particularly from rural agencies.

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