WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Agriculture Committee, today announced the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act. Sen. Fischer has long worked to facilitate price discovery and address the lack of transparency in the cattle market. The bipartisan compromise legislation includes a series of provisions to ensure every segment of the beef supply chain can succeed.

Fall is here. Crisp autumn evenings, the changing of the leaves, and the mad dash to get the crops out of the field. It can’t be said often enough—there is no place like Nebraska. Some of the discussion during the recent special session on redistricting brought up what appears to be a growing divide between urban and rural areas of our state. In this frame of mind, Lincoln and everything east is considered “urban” and everything west of Lincoln is “rural”.

Spontaneity is the spice of life. A few years ago, on a whim, my wife and I made a decision to purchase season tickets to the Omaha Orpheum Theater. It grants us the opportunity to take in about eight touring Broadway shows a year. It’s been the perfect escape for us. But the pandemic put that on hold for about 20 months. That was until last Thursday, when we were able to return to Omaha for our second time seeing “Hamilton.”

A woman had been feeling short of breath for several weeks. Physical activities which had previously been easy for her were becoming a chore. In fact, simply laying down resulted in difficulty breathing. She had gained some weight and her legs were swollen.

It would be hard to overstate the relief Americans felt in 1918 when they heard the “war to end all wars” was over. World War I, the deadliest conflict in history to that point, had ended.

Nebraska has come through the pandemic stronger than any other state. We have the third-lowest mortality rate from COVID-19 among states. We have the lowest unemployment rate in the nation at 2.0%, which is tied for the lowest rate any state has ever achieved! Our state’s GDP grew 11.8% in the fourth quarter of 2020, which was the biggest increase in America by far. We were the sixth-best state for getting kids back in the classroom, which has given our children a number of learning and social advantages.

It was late August of 1999. I had just completed my first couple weeks at a new school and things were rough.

Now that the redistricting is over and we know what the boundaries are going to be, we can all breathe a sigh of relief. The new 44th district will include the southwest quarter of Perkins County, all of Chase, Dundy, Hitchcock, Hayes, Frontier, Gosper, and now a new addition, Dawson County. I’m still certainly willing to continue my relationship with my former constituents in Red Willow, Furnas and Harlan Counties. Since I have served those counties for the past 7 years I don’t expect a change in boundaries to change my relationships with those individuals or groups. I certainly am not trying to do anything different in Dawson County. The individuals in Dawson County that have a good relationship with Senator Williams, I would expect they would continue with that relationship, but if they do wish to reach out to me, as their current senator, I am more than happy to visit with them and help them with any issues they may be bringing forward.

When we think of Henry VIII most of us envision an oversized man with multiple wives, a bitter personality, and a propensity for beheading his enemies. A lesser-known fact is that he suffered with chronic leg sores the last twenty years of his life. Living in a time before antibiotics, anesthesia, and proper wound care, this king endured excruciating ulcers with no cure available. Would history have been different if his sores could have been treated with today’s advanced wound care?

Mandates I think it is important to tell my constituents where I stand on Covid-19 vaccine and mask mandates. As you might imagine, I have received several calls and emails lately on this topic.