As the weather warms up this spring and summer, thousands of Nebraskans are planning to visit our state’s many national treasures and other historic sites. From Homestead National Historic Park in Beatrice to Scotts Bluff National Monument in the Panhandle, Nebraska has so much to offer.

Unsung Heroes -- Over 40,000 acres. At this writing, that is the amount of pasture and cropland that has burned in Gosper and Furnas counties, as well as just south of the border in northern Kansas. At least eight families have lost their homes. Dozens of other structures were also destroyed. Firefighting equipment was lost as well. In addition to this are all of the livestock, the center pivots and other irrigation equipment, the hay bales, and the miles of fence line. All destroyed by a merciless and deadly force.

Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, was first listed as a medical diagnosis in 1980. However, it has been recognized and called by many different names throughout history. The first recorded description of PTSD is in the Epic of Gilgamesh which dates back to 2100 B.C. In The Iliad and The Odyssey, Homer wrote about Trojan War soldiers exhibiting the symptoms of PTSD. Shakespeare described a character in King Henry IV who suffered from post-traumatic nightmares.

The tax reform bill, LB 873, which I discussed at length last week, will provide over 900 million dollars in reduced taxes for the citizens of the state of Nebraska over a 5-year period. You may see other articles criticizing this tax change, saying that there was no tax break for middle or low income taxpayers, but this is absolutely not true. I want to set the record straight, if you pay income taxes, you get a tax break. Some additional funds for property tax relief were included to help rectify the situation of the overburden/overreliance on property taxes in the state, especially in K-12 education and community colleges. Those were two of the big components in LB 873, in addition to the phase out of the state income tax on social security benefits.

Presidents, especially those of different parties, have a history of reversing their predecessor’s policies once they are sworn in. This is not unusual. But a president inheriting a policy with bipartisan support that has helped keep America safe for two years, and choosing to reverse it anyway? That is very unusual.

As this update goes to press, the Nebraska Legislature will have completed 57 days of this year’s 60-day legislative session. Much of the focus and debate this week has been on taxes.

I enjoy visiting with my colleagues who are medical specialists. We dive in and explore the depths of a particular condition. However, there is something to say about the breadth of knowledge that a family medicine physician is expected to have. Your family doctor can run through the alphabet of conditions from acne to the zika virus.

My number one priority while serving the past 8 years in the Nebraska legislature is to pass meaningful property tax relief. Although we did not achieve the level that I was hoping for over the years I’ve been here, we have made progress. Last week we passed the first round of across the board tax relief. Income, social security, corporate and property taxes will be reduced in the upcoming years. The vehicle for these changes was LB 873 a bill introduced by Senator Curt Friesen of Henderson. The Revenue Committee amended LB 873 with AM 2649, completely changing the bill from its original form. AM 2649 had many components, and therefore was divided into 4 amendments, but the section that was left in was the part o eliminating the tax on social security by the year 2025.

For many Nebraskans, Lent means two things: a time for personal reflection, and a time for weekly fish fries. My daughter-in-law comes from a big Catholic family who have called Omaha home for generations.

As we approach the final days of the 2022 legislative session, the Nebraska Unicameral has the opportunity to deliver smart criminal justice reforms that will enhance public safety and benefit all Nebraskans. These changes will allow us to better manage our inmate population and provide modern resources to prepare offenders for life after time served—without compromising public safety.