President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. took office a little over two months ago. In his inaugural address, President Biden dedicated himself to “bringing America together.” In the weeks since then, he has charted a very different course. Instead of governing by building consensus, he has aggressively pushed a far-left agenda. He refused to compromise with Republicans on stimulus legislation. Instead, he signed a coronavirus spending package that bailed out Blue states at the expense of states like Nebraska that had taken a better approach to the pandemic. He has also supported corporate bullying of states that pass laws he doesn’t like. The President’s early actions have been divisive rather than unifying, and they fail to respect the rights of states in our federal system of government.

These past few weeks we’ve covered a wide array of topics at the legislature. One example is that we will start a day with debate about telehealth and then just like that we will talk about ready-to-drink cocktails. Some of the topics you think would create more of a stir don’t and then you spend hours talking about what you thought would pass easily.

As I was sitting mat-side at a youth wrestling tournament in Kearney this weekend, there was a subtle annoyance biting at me, one that slowly grew into aggravation. As we exited the building for the final time, it hit me - I am ready to be outside.

The patient knew something was wrong. After appointments with several specialists, multiple scans, and tests, she was given a diagnosis.

When spring arrives in Nebraska, snow melts, days get longer, and we enjoy the warmer weather and sunlight. It’s refreshing to get outside and resume activities that weren’t possible during the winter months.

Court Calls 03/29/2021 Sandra Weller of Cambridge - Possession of a controlled substance, possess or use drug paraphernalia Continued to 04/12/2021 @ 10:30 A.M. Rhonda Hinz of Arapahoe - Probation Revocation, Plea: Denial; Revocation Hearing set for 04/12/2021 @ 11:00 A.M.

Last week we passed the halfway mark for this year’s session. We were supposed to receive the proposed budget from the Appropriations Committee last week but there were a few minor changes they wanted to make before releasing it. We should get it sometime this week.

Sports fans rejoiced this past weekend as a favorite past time returned from a one-year COVID-induced hiatus. The NCAA Tournament certainly brought the madness through the first weekend, including one my backside.

The Nebraska Legislature is halfway through its 2021 session. Senators are working on passing a budget that controls spending and delivers on Nebraskans’ top priority—property tax working to achieve other important objectives like providing veterans tax relief, replacing the crumbling Nebraska State Penitentiary, and expanding our state’s broadband infrastructure.

Last week a total of 89 bills were named either a senator or a committee priority bill. If priority bills are advanced out of committee they will have a better chance of being heard on the legislative floor this year. The speaker also named 25 bills as speaker priority bills. This may sound like a lot of bills and although some of these bills are controversial, most are not.