CONTACT:

Laura Strimple, (402) 580-9495

Gov. Pillen Delivers Sine Die Address to Nebraska Legislature

President Kelly, Speaker Arch, and members of the 109th Nebraska Legislature.

Friends and distinguished guests.

My fellow Nebraskans.

Last month, in the face of historic wildfires, we Nebraskans - once again - proved our grit and came together to protect life, property, and livestock.

The Sandhills are an incredible treasure of our state - and some of the best cattle-grazing land anywhere on the planet.

So, this isn't just a story about the number of acres burned. It is lives changed. It is livestock lost. It is real pain. These fires hurt, and the recovery of our land and people will take time - but I believe we're at the beginning of a comeback story.

We know fences can be mended. We know buildings can be rebuilt. We know Nebraskans help Nebraskans - and the pioneering spirit that makes our people strong and unbreakable is shining through.

As Governor of this extraordinary state, every single day I'm in awe of Nebraskans. In the balcony today, we have some heroes - and I can't express my appreciation enough to the volunteer firefighters, National Guard servicemembers, emergency responders, local officials, and others who pitched in to fight back against those flames.

Please join me in giving these great Nebraskans a round of applause.

Stories like this are why this work is so important. The people we serve deserve the absolute best of us.

This is a unique calling - with plenty of challenges and long hours - and we wish those members who are leaving this body the best:

Senators Rob Clements, Machaela Cavanaugh, Megan Hunt, Wendy DeBoer, John Arch, Ben Hansen, Christy Armendariz, Mike Moser, Jane Raybould, Myron Dorn, Tom Brandt, Dave Murman, and Fred Meyer.

I especially want to thank John Arch for stepping up to serve as Speaker and Senator Clements for his leadership and efforts as Appropriations Chair to help pass a historically conservative budget package.

I believe our state was also well served and will particularly miss the strong and steady approaches of Senators Murman and Moser.

And, Senator Fred Meyer… congratulations on your second retirement from this body…

I have a feeling Kay might make you change your phone number - but more seriously, thank you for stepping up and thoughtfully serving this body and our state.

We accomplished a lot of good for our state in this session, but we know there is always more to do - and I want to spend some time talking about my vision for future sessions.

I hear from Nebraskans all the time - "Thank you for not giving up on property tax, Governor." I know you all are hearing it too. I believe 2027 is the time to solve it. And when this body reconvenes, I'm challenging the 110th Legislature to join me as we work to solve our property tax crisis.

My team has taken executive action to ensure Nebraskans are seeing property tax relief. But the people of our state deserve more. We need to get practical, set aside ideology, and solve this decades-old problem.

As we turn toward January, we need to focus on what matters most… on what makes the biggest difference for future generations… on what allows us to compete with - and beat - every other state in the country.

Partner with me to make this legislative body more efficient and effective. I believe there's one simple way we can all serve Nebraskans better: By putting our focus on the quality of the bills introduced instead of the quantity of bills introduced.

Over the past four years, I've teamed up with nearly all of you on various issues that I believe are critical. During the 109th legislature, I signed over 60 'at the request of the Governor' bills passed by this body - an 80% success rate. When we focus on key issues - and work together - we make a real, meaningful, lasting difference for the people of our state.

As Nebraskans do, we passed a fiscally responsible, historically conservative balanced budget - by decreasing spend, putting pillow case money to work, and increasing revenue - ensuring that we improve services while not cutting them.

A few of highlights from this session:

• We're defending Nebraska agriculture by passing Senator Jacobson's LB525, a first-in-the-nation law that ensures agricultural producers own and control the data generated on their farms.

This is about national security, food security, and family farm security.

• Through Senator Murman's LB653, we're bettering education for our kids by improving classroom environments and increasing special education services for those families who rely on them.
• I was proud to have worked with Senator von Gillern on LB1165 - the Grow the Good Life Act - to create an incentive package that will help business grow right here at home and recruit talent from around the country to join us in this great state. The message is simple: Nebraska is open for business, and we believe there's no better place to raise a family.
• Nebraska is number one in public power with some of the most affordable electricity in the country - and thanks to LB1261's 'Behind the Meter' legislation introduced by Senator DeKay at my request, private companies will be allowed to build their own electricity generation and keep the cost-sharing burden on those companies - not Nebraska ratepayers.

I believe this legislation will be a gamechanger for our state - helping us reach our economic and developmental potential.

• With a bipartisan law introduced at my request by Senator Bostar, LB1096 helps Nebraska stand up to foreign interests, protecting agriculture and infrastructure from adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party.
• With support and work from many in this room, we strengthened our relationship with our federal partners, including President Trump's cabinet.
  
  • Through the Rural Health Transformation program we're investing millions of dollars in the future and health of rural Nebraska - and, while it's not guaranteed, by the end of this 5-year program in 2031, our expectation and goal is for us to bring in a total of over $1 billion of federal money into our state.
  • Through our partnership with ICE, the McCook Work Ethic Camp has been repurposed and is now helping get criminal illegal aliens out of American communities.
  • Through an Executive Order I signed, Nebraska signaled our intent to opt into the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit. This initiative is a no brainer that will help public, private, and homeschool families get the education their kids deserve.
  • Through our Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, we're supporting the Make America Healthy Again initiative - a win-win for our state that encourages families to make healthy choices that also benefit Nebraska producers.

…Let's stop feeding twinkies to our kids…

• Through our Department of Transportation, we're working with the federal government to defeat environmental bureaucracy, cut red tape, and reduce administrative burdens as we design and construct Nebraska's roads and bridges.
• Through our Department of Economic Development, Nebraska is leading the way on the implementation of Opportunity Zones - a key priority of the Trump Administration. Opportunity Zones are powerful tools that will help us grow and invest in underdeveloped areas both rural and urban.

Finally, I am so honored to have signed LB596, which included a provision introduced at my request by Senator Lonowski that will allow Tom Osborne to be the first living person to be inducted into the Nebraska Hall of Fame.

Coach Osborne has given so much to the people of this state - as a championship-winning coach, mentor, and statesman - he personifies the best of Nebraska.

He changed my life - and he's invested directly in countless other people across our great state. He unquestionably deserves this honor.

Coach believes in doing things the right way - and he believes in big and impactful work.

That's what we get to do here. How lucky are we to carry out this extraordinary work as our country celebrates its 250th anniversary? It's an honor to serve - and a privilege that none of us should waste.

On behalf of our team and cabinet, Lieutenant Governor Kelly and I thank you for your service as part of the 109th Nebraska Legislature.

God bless you, and God bless the great people of the State of Nebraska.