Nebraska Broadband Progress Report with Commissioner Mary Ridder, Mike Hybl & Jim Ediger
On a special episode of Nebraskanomics, Jim Smith asks three experts on telecommunications and regulation about the state’s progress on grant programs that expand broadband connectivity. Nebraska Public Service Commissioner Mary Ridder, Nebraska Legislature Transportation and Telecommunications Committee Legal Counsel Mike Hybl, and Hamilton Communications General Counsel Jim Ediger are our guests. A transcript of...
Nebraska’s 2022 tax cuts: What’s good & what’s not
Nebraska entered the 2022 legislative session with its tax code ranked 35th in structural competitiveness, according to Tax Foundation’s 2022 State Business Tax Climate Index. The state will likely improve its position over the coming years as a result of tax changes made in LB873. However, projections show the state may only edge closer to...
Republished from Nebraska Examiner Even people born in Nebraska might struggle to find the village of Ohiowa on a state map. But this community of about 100 residents in Fillmore County has been host to visitors from all over the world, many who found their way thanks to Lazy Horse Brewing and Winery. The drinking and...
Speaker Mike Hilgers and Jim Vokal discuss Nebraska small business on Tech Forward Webcast
How are small businesses in Nebraska using technology to respond to today’s economic challenges? Nebraska Legislature Speaker Mike Hilgers and Platte Institute CEO Jim Vokal were among the guests in a recent Tech Forward Webcast hosted by 3C, the Connected Commerce Council. The program featured Nebraska small business leaders discussing the tools that are helping...
Platte Institute names new chair who will help guide Blueprint Nebraska growth plan
by Cindy Gonzalez, Nebraska Examiner North Platte, Nebraska, businessman Pat Keenan, whose career began in the soft drink industry, has been elected chairman of the nonprofit Platte Institute board of directors. Among the organization’s responsibilities is helping to activate economic initiatives in Blueprint Nebraska, a plan led by business and civic leaders to stimulate economic...
Nebraska continues towards full jobs recovery from pandemic recession
Nebraska gained 400 non-farm payroll jobs in March and its unemployment rate fell from 2.1% to 2.0%, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The low unemployment rate ties Nebraska with Utah as the states with the lowest jobless rates. In addition, Nebraska’s strong February jobs gain was revised slightly upwards, thus...
Two factors determine a state’s overall tax competitiveness. The first factor is the total tax burden, measured as a portion of state income. The second factor is the structure of the state’s tax code – the manner in which those revenues are collected. The goal for tax competitiveness in Nebraska, then, is to maintain a...
Laura Ebke on Solutions for Nebraska’s Worker Shortage
Platte Institute Senior Fellow Laura Ebke says there’s more the state can do to welcome workers with career and military experience to join Nebraska’s workforce. A transcript of this episode is available below. If you’d like to watch this episode on YouTube, press play. Or you can listen to the podcast on Spotify or Apple...
Michael Lucci on Making Nebraska Taxes More Competitive
Platte Institute Senior Policy Advisor Michael Lucci tells Jim Vokal an increasingly mobile workforce is prompting more states to take bold action on tax reform. A transcript of this episode is available below. If you’d like to watch this episode on YouTube, press play below. Or you can listen to the podcast on Spotify or...
3 Reasons to Post Nebraska Legislature Videos Online
Every bill introduced in the Nebraska Legislature receives a public hearing. In many ways, this is an extraordinary public service Nebraska offers. Nebraskans can bring numerous policy ideas to state senators, and as long as they can find a member willing to introduce legislation, those ideas will be considered by a legislative committee. Members of...
Chris Ingstad of Iowans for Tax Relief joins Jim Vokal to update Nebraskans about major movements on tax policy in the Hawkeye State. A transcript of this episode is available below. If you’d like to watch this episode on YouTube, press play below. Or you can listen to the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts....
Podcast: Jim Vokal & KFAB’s Ian Swanson talk transparency in the Nebraska Legislature
Jim Vokal updates KFAB listeners on legislation to post the Unicameral’s meeting videos online, how Nebraska’s progress on tax issues compares with its neighbors, and one change senators can make to address the state’s workforce shortage. Sign the petition and tell the Unicameral to post its meeting videos online for all to see.
The Nebraska-Iowa rivalry runs deep. Given the proximity of Nebraska’s largest cities, Iowa is usually considered our most comparable neighbor. And our states do have a lot in common. Nebraskans and Iowans often share family roots or even work across state lines. Some of our similarities are changing, though. Since the last time Nebraska beat...
Bill to require video archive of legislative hearings and floor debate advances
by Paul Hammel, Nebraska Examiner LINCOLN — The Nebraska Legislature would maintain a video archive of legislative debate and hearings under a bill advanced Thursday to debate. Legislative Bill 777 is portrayed as increasing transparency and keeping up with at least 46 other states that already keep a library of legislative proceedings. Supporters, including State...