Friends,

I hope you enjoy reading Team Pillen’s report card from our first legislative session. Serving as the 41st Governor of Nebraska is a privilege that words can’t describe. Serving the State of Nebraska has simply been incredible.
 
Last November, you elected me to office with a clear mandate to make transformational change in the areas most important to our future: our kids; our tax code; our agricultural industry, the backbone of our economy; and our conservative Nebraska values. With your engagement, we've worked in partnership with the Legislature to deliver what I believe is the most wide-ranging package of commonsense reforms in our state's history.
 
Working with the Legislature, and with your support, we're delivering on our promises to the people of Nebraska.

• We've secured over $6 billion in property and income tax relief for Nebraska families, seniors, ag producers, and job-creators. This includes the complete elimination of the state income tax on Social Security benefits next year.


  
  
• We've reformed the TEEOSA state aid to schools formula and made historic investments in education, including foundation aid of $1,500 for every K-12 public school student in Nebraska, whichever district they attend. We've also increased the state's commitment to our special education students. We can never give up on our kids.


  
  
• We tightened state government's belt and capped the growth of spending at just two percent.


  
  
• Nebraska was one of only two states in the nation to deny children educational opportunities based on their means. It was unacceptable, and we had to make a change. That's why I signed into law the Opportunity Scholarships Act. Opportunity scholarships will empower parents with education choices for the right fit for their kids, ensuring the doors to opportunity are open for all Nebraska's children.


  
  
• With a new three-percent cap on the growth of school district spending, our education investments will result in dollar-for-dollar property tax relief. 


  
  
• As long as I'm governor, Nebraska will always protect its children, born and unborn. That's why we've banned abortions at 12 weeks and outlawed gender transition surgeries for minors. These victories are the most significant advancements for Nebraska social conservatives in a generation. We took a major step forward this year, and I'll continue fighting to outlaw elective abortion in Nebraska, period. We have a plan to win 38 of 49 seats in the Legislature. We need your help in our plan for democracy.


  
  
• I signed into law LB77, securing Nebraskans' 2nd Amendment constitutional carry rights.


  
  
• On my first day as governor, I established the Nebraska Broadband Office. The Broadband Office will centralize and streamline our state's broadband connectivity efforts, provide accountability for broadband investments, and complete projects faster and cheaper.


  
  
• With bonding authority, the Nebraska Department of Transportation will be able to complete critical highway projects on a timeline of years, not four decades.


  
  
• We worked with the Legislature to invest in projects critical for the future of our state, like the Perkins County Canal. The Perkins County Canal project will secure our water rights, impacting Nebraskans from Big Springs to Lincoln.


  
  
• We've made historic investments to Back the Blue and keep Nebraskans safe, including pay raises for state troopers and funding for a new state prison.

We still have more work to do, especially on property taxes, lifting up more kids, and getting the state more involved in mental health challenges, but we have a lot to be proud of. None of it would be possible without your support, so again, thank you. Working together, we'll continue fighting for the commonsense, conservative values that have always made Nebraska great. Together, we can.

God Bless,

Jim Pillen
Governor of Nebraska