Lincoln––School's back in session for Nebraska’s kids, and according to a new survey out today, 87% of Cornhusker State parents say they're satisfied with the quality of schools their children attend.

According to the survey, conducted by 50CAN and released today by Navigate School Choice, 41% of moms and dads described themselves as “very satisfied,” while 34% said they were “somewhat satisfied.”

In addition, parents were more likely to say that their children were excelling at, and were performing above grade level, in reading (47%) than in math (44%).

Still, more than one in five (24%) Cornhusker State parents say that if they had a choice, they’d choose a different school for their child. And 32% of families in the state said they did not have a choice of where to send their child to school in the first place.

According to Shelby Doyle, vice president of Navigate School Choice, these results––high parent satisfaction but a desire for more options––might seem contradictory but reflect a national trend.

&nbsp;"We know that parents' education options are expanding in states across the country at a never-before-seen rate. Yet, even still, 32% of parents do not feel they have a real choice in where their child goes to school," said Shelby Doyle, vice president of public awareness at the National School Choice Awareness Foundation. "Whether they live in school choice deserts, lack access to timely and easy-to-understand information about their options, or face obstacles such as the practicalities of transportation and accommodation needs, we owe it to families to remain curious about the work that remains to turn education options into education solutions for them."

Nebraska parents who want to learn more about their school choice options can visit the newly-launched myschoolchoice.com, which provides comprehensive and jargon-free information about the traditional public, public charter, public magnet, private, online, home, and nontraditional education choices available in the Cornhusker State.

More information and resources for journalists can be found at&nbsp;https://50can.org/education-opportunity-survey/ and<a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rC6cFM-2BreStCoWmYnIvxF5sw4fIKMBQ84gFDviPyIZn9FcnEPJ-2BXliVp5hLFlRKYFtLGDzyc2VNlFMhVG1Yyi9zA-3DoxQx_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEx5eOh2mcWHIGY492PIfsWuGdyTZVLxgL-2BKTq0qcyYnNBJg-2BS2Q-2BIvTcXUaaZMfX8owv6M0Q5fc5Lt9rrigHj-2B1JEHqUWFC123MQaJ12BXgiVXK8nuz0aQhOhLKn-2B619zY2S-2FuxXf1DW4VD-2B8QvGWf2CoaLGmkAktMerIxKXEgRGsVm2MG8At0yvB4bbIn5bkzmFzgh442SgtPSXsbq3V49-2BEeQmDYeB1GflllgbIJw0oEqNR8tgHVEu-2B7UJCd9yqjP98udLkljSHO5jut3ITGUcKgSllNFqIptqDOVm8C8I-3D">&nbsp;</a><a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rC6cFM-2BreStCoWmYnIvxF5sw4fIKMBQ84gFDviPyIZn9FcnEPJ-2BXliVp5hLFlRKYFtLGDzyc2VNlFMhVG1Yyi9zA-3DiOId_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEx5eOh2mcWHIGY492PIfsWuGdyTZVLxgL-2BKTq0qcyYnNBJg-2BS2Q-2BIvTcXUaaZMfX8owv6M0Q5fc5Lt9rrigHj-2B1JEHqUWFC123MQaJ12BXgiVXK8nuz0aQhOhLKn-2B619zY2S-2FuxXf1DW4VD-2B8QvGWf6UxwpXgy4DDMwHQxKaWw-2F3CFG1Gg7-2FgFsvAckRB2XbRuGprsiybr1WQU-2Fu-2Fr78Egr-2BOGGaYer0F9-2FPNHzt-2FWspW3XMUyzmg9QP407g-2FbfOeoqIUQp70FSb9B85NQQm1QirhovzOFWZfPmDNN1MqwKA-3D">schoolchoiceawareness.org/school-choice-interview</a>. Information about Navigate School Choice can be found at<a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rCzESzQW-2B4ZNfksxpL63IVYICHNLLVuRiEZYl3BPLYooS3-AC_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEx5eOh2mcWHIGY492PIfsWuGdyTZVLxgL-2BKTq0qcyYnNBJg-2BS2Q-2BIvTcXUaaZMfX8owv6M0Q5fc5Lt9rrigHj-2B1JEHqUWFC123MQaJ12BXgiVXK8nuz0aQhOhLKn-2B619zY2S-2FuxXf1DW4VD-2B8QvGWf5iDPCGmt1eAPd8UXd4JMC0uNC8EcvKkBKJZJSqE47yp-2B33ermuIJAwkCv99AI2mhCwp1FzJdT-2FJOoLXtRZwxXpe3ltWSnA5nolI-2BSBAxGtsywKwjC3jmeG8csuj44UFbRytZ-2BJ2uZ18HLF6alSRd50-3D">&nbsp;</a><a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rCzESzQW-2B4ZNfksxpL63IVYICHNLLVuRiEZYl3BPLYooSpVwO_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEx5eOh2mcWHIGY492PIfsWuGdyTZVLxgL-2BKTq0qcyYnNBJg-2BS2Q-2BIvTcXUaaZMfX8owv6M0Q5fc5Lt9rrigHj-2B1JEHqUWFC123MQaJ12BXgiVXK8nuz0aQhOhLKn-2B619zY2S-2FuxXf1DW4VD-2B8QvGWf2PP6mlbFXnhIfftDwk1ptOd4z3f86G-2FzOFGcADL17-2FxmBKvA9t-2FvjE-2FzOKZYgZH0D3lhnLclnN6F7qGW4IvHFrQmSQcWvITWBa8plGNiatoOSkqh8kDVVoXCG-2BHAfq7ubaotcj-2Bl44I-2BwqF-2BteeaeY-3D">myschoolchoice.com</a>.

Lucía MatamorosLincoln––School's back in session for Nebraska’s kids, and according to a new survey out today, 87% of Cornhusker State parents say they're satisfied with the quality of schools their children attend.According to the survey, conducted by 50CAN and released today by Navigate School Choice, 41% of moms and dads described themselves as “very satisfied,” while 34% said they were “somewhat satisfied.”In addition, parents were more likely to say that their children were excelling at, and were performing above grade level, in reading (47%) than in math (44%).Still, more than one in five (24%) Cornhusker State parents say that if they had a choice, they’d choose a different school for their child. And 32% of families in the state said they did not have a choice of where to send their child to school in the first place.According to Shelby Doyle, vice president of Navigate School Choice, these results––high parent satisfaction but a desire for more options––might seem contradictory but reflect a national trend.&nbsp;"We know that parents' education options are expanding in states across the country at a never-before-seen rate. Yet, even still, 32% of parents do not feel they have a real choice in where their child goes to school," said Shelby Doyle, vice president of public awareness at the National School Choice Awareness Foundation. "Whether they live in school choice deserts, lack access to timely and easy-to-understand information about their options, or face obstacles such as the practicalities of transportation and accommodation needs, we owe it to families to remain curious about the work that remains to turn education options into education solutions for them."Nebraska parents who want to learn more about their school choice options can visit the newly-launched myschoolchoice.com, which provides comprehensive and jargon-free information about the traditional public, public charter, public magnet, private, online, home, and nontraditional education choices available in the Cornhusker State.More information and resources for journalists can be found at&nbsp;https://50can.org/education-opportunity-survey/ and<a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rC6cFM-2BreStCoWmYnIvxF5sw4fIKMBQ84gFDviPyIZn9FcnEPJ-2BXliVp5hLFlRKYFtLGDzyc2VNlFMhVG1Yyi9zA-3DoxQx_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEx5eOh2mcWHIGY492PIfsWuGdyTZVLxgL-2BKTq0qcyYnNBJg-2BS2Q-2BIvTcXUaaZMfX8owv6M0Q5fc5Lt9rrigHj-2B1JEHqUWFC123MQaJ12BXgiVXK8nuz0aQhOhLKn-2B619zY2S-2FuxXf1DW4VD-2B8QvGWf2CoaLGmkAktMerIxKXEgRGsVm2MG8At0yvB4bbIn5bkzmFzgh442SgtPSXsbq3V49-2BEeQmDYeB1GflllgbIJw0oEqNR8tgHVEu-2B7UJCd9yqjP98udLkljSHO5jut3ITGUcKgSllNFqIptqDOVm8C8I-3D">&nbsp;</a><a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rC6cFM-2BreStCoWmYnIvxF5sw4fIKMBQ84gFDviPyIZn9FcnEPJ-2BXliVp5hLFlRKYFtLGDzyc2VNlFMhVG1Yyi9zA-3DiOId_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEx5eOh2mcWHIGY492PIfsWuGdyTZVLxgL-2BKTq0qcyYnNBJg-2BS2Q-2BIvTcXUaaZMfX8owv6M0Q5fc5Lt9rrigHj-2B1JEHqUWFC123MQaJ12BXgiVXK8nuz0aQhOhLKn-2B619zY2S-2FuxXf1DW4VD-2B8QvGWf6UxwpXgy4DDMwHQxKaWw-2F3CFG1Gg7-2FgFsvAckRB2XbRuGprsiybr1WQU-2Fu-2Fr78Egr-2BOGGaYer0F9-2FPNHzt-2FWspW3XMUyzmg9QP407g-2FbfOeoqIUQp70FSb9B85NQQm1QirhovzOFWZfPmDNN1MqwKA-3D">schoolchoiceawareness.org/school-choice-interview</a>. Information about Navigate School Choice can be found at<a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rCzESzQW-2B4ZNfksxpL63IVYICHNLLVuRiEZYl3BPLYooS3-AC_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEx5eOh2mcWHIGY492PIfsWuGdyTZVLxgL-2BKTq0qcyYnNBJg-2BS2Q-2BIvTcXUaaZMfX8owv6M0Q5fc5Lt9rrigHj-2B1JEHqUWFC123MQaJ12BXgiVXK8nuz0aQhOhLKn-2B619zY2S-2FuxXf1DW4VD-2B8QvGWf5iDPCGmt1eAPd8UXd4JMC0uNC8EcvKkBKJZJSqE47yp-2B33ermuIJAwkCv99AI2mhCwp1FzJdT-2FJOoLXtRZwxXpe3ltWSnA5nolI-2BSBAxGtsywKwjC3jmeG8csuj44UFbRytZ-2BJ2uZ18HLF6alSRd50-3D">&nbsp;</a><a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rCzESzQW-2B4ZNfksxpL63IVYICHNLLVuRiEZYl3BPLYooSpVwO_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEx5eOh2mcWHIGY492PIfsWuGdyTZVLxgL-2BKTq0qcyYnNBJg-2BS2Q-2BIvTcXUaaZMfX8owv6M0Q5fc5Lt9rrigHj-2B1JEHqUWFC123MQaJ12BXgiVXK8nuz0aQhOhLKn-2B619zY2S-2FuxXf1DW4VD-2B8QvGWf2PP6mlbFXnhIfftDwk1ptOd4z3f86G-2FzOFGcADL17-2FxmBKvA9t-2FvjE-2FzOKZYgZH0D3lhnLclnN6F7qGW4IvHFrQmSQcWvITWBa8plGNiatoOSkqh8kDVVoXCG-2BHAfq7ubaotcj-2Bl44I-2BwqF-2BteeaeY-3D">myschoolchoice.com</a>.

New Poll: NE Parents Largely Satisfied with K–12 Schools, but 1 in 4 Would Make a Change

Nebraska Department of Transportation

 (Lincoln, Neb.) — Nebraska football returns to Lincoln this weekend as it hosts Rutgers for its fifth home game this season. The Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) encourages drivers to plan for higher-than-normal traffic on roadways this Saturday. 

Additionally, NDOT reminds people to designate a sober driver or find a sober ride if their gameday festivities includes consuming alcohol.

For fans traveling to Lincoln, be prepared for heavier traffic and road construction along the way. Drivers should allow more time to get to their destination and be ready for an increase in traffic on the roadways in the afternoon and evening hours. Travelers need to be aware that construction is active for the following areas:

• I-80 from the Pleasant Dale interchange (MM 388) to NW 48th Street interchange (MM 395) in Lincoln. The speed limit is 65 miles per hour in this construction zone.

• Hwy 77 and Hwy 109 Junction near Wahoo. This is a one lane, head-to-head traffic pattern with a reduced speed limit. 

• I-80 from the Elm Creek interchange (MM 252) to the Odessa interchange (MM 264). This is a one lane, head-to-head traffic pattern with a 65 miles per hour speed limit, zipper merge when necessary.

• I-80 from the Lexington interchange (MM 237) to the Overton interchange (MM 248). This is reduced to one lane, each direction, with a 65 miles per hour speed limit, zipper merge when necessary.

When driving on Interstate 180 (I-180) use caution near Memorial Stadium, I-180 will have lane restrictions to accommodate pedestrian traffic due to hotel construction in downtown Lincoln. Before leaving to enjoy the game, add your destination into your favorite navigation app, this is a great resource for traffic updates along route. The best way to start your gameday travel is to always buckle up and put the phone down.

For more information about construction projects and lane closures, check 511 Nebraska and the Lincoln Transportation and Utilities website, Facebook or X. For gameday information, visit the Husker’s website.

Nebraska Department of Transportation (Lincoln, Neb.) — Nebraska football returns to Lincoln this weekend as it hosts Rutgers for its fifth home game this season. The Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) encourages drivers to plan for higher-than-normal traffic on roadways this Saturday. Additionally, NDOT reminds people to designate a sober driver or find a sober ride if their gameday festivities includes consuming alcohol.For fans traveling to Lincoln, be prepared for heavier traffic and road construction along the way. Drivers should allow more time to get to their destination and be ready for an increase in traffic on the roadways in the afternoon and evening hours. Travelers need to be aware that construction is active for the following areas:• I-80 from the Pleasant Dale interchange (MM 388) to NW 48th Street interchange (MM 395) in Lincoln. The speed limit is 65 miles per hour in this construction zone.• Hwy 77 and Hwy 109 Junction near Wahoo. This is a one lane, head-to-head traffic pattern with a reduced speed limit. • I-80 from the Elm Creek interchange (MM 252) to the Odessa interchange (MM 264). This is a one lane, head-to-head traffic pattern with a 65 miles per hour speed limit, zipper merge when necessary.• I-80 from the Lexington interchange (MM 237) to the Overton interchange (MM 248). This is reduced to one lane, each direction, with a 65 miles per hour speed limit, zipper merge when necessary.When driving on Interstate 180 (I-180) use caution near Memorial Stadium, I-180 will have lane restrictions to accommodate pedestrian traffic due to hotel construction in downtown Lincoln. Before leaving to enjoy the game, add your destination into your favorite navigation app, this is a great resource for traffic updates along route. The best way to start your gameday travel is to always buckle up and put the phone down.For more information about construction projects and lane closures, check 511 Nebraska and the Lincoln Transportation and Utilities website, Facebook or X. For gameday information, visit the Husker’s website.

Gameday Traffic Returns As Huskers Welcome Scarlet Knights

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/nickevans/">NICK EVANS</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/christopheringraham/">CHRISTOPHER INGRAHAM</a>

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance faced off Tuesday in their first and only vice presidential debate.

But both brought up claims that were nothing new.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?538521-1/simulcast-cbs-news-vice-presidential-debate">Click here to watch a full replay of the debate&nbsp;&nbsp;</a>via CSPAN courtesy CBS&nbsp;

Here’s a look at some of those claims and States Newsroom’s assessment of the facts.

CLAIM: Walz said Vance called his running mate, former President Donald Trump, unfit for the office of the presidency.

THE FACTS: True. Vance said it in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/04/opinion/campaign-stops/why-trumps-antiwar-message-resonates-with-white-america.html?partner=slack&amp;smid=sl-share" target="_blank">New York Times op-ed in 2016.</a>&nbsp;The Washington Post&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/09/27/jd-vance-messages-trump-criticism-2020/" target="_blank">reported</a>&nbsp;that as recently as 2020 Vance criticized the Trump administration’s record, saying Trump “thoroughly failed to deliver.”

Nevertheless, from the earliest stages of his U.S. Senate campaign in 2022, Vance described and defended his change of heart. At a&nbsp;<a href="https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2022/01/18/j-d-vance-takes-campaign-to-delaware-shooting-range/" target="_blank">campaign event in January that year</a>, he said, “I’m not gonna hide from the fact that I did not see Trump’s promise in the beginning but you know, he delivered,” Vance said. “He delivered, and he cared about people. And I think that’s important. It’s important (to) change your mind.”

CLAIM: Vance argued schools, hospitals and housing in Springfield, Ohio, are overwhelmed or unaffordable “because we brought in millions of illegal immigrants.” He added American citizens in Springfield have “had their lives destroyed by Kamala Harris’s open border.”

THE FACTS: Vance and Trump have been the driving force behind&nbsp;<a href="https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2024/09/19/vance-spread-springfield-rumors-even-after-his-staff-was-told-they-were-false-news-report-says/" target="_blank">several smears of the Haitian community</a>&nbsp;in Springfield. Although the population influx&nbsp;<a href="https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2024/09/23/springfields-haitian-community-ready-for-attention-to-move-elsewhere/" target="_blank">has strained resources, state</a>&nbsp;and local officials – some of them Republicans – have rejected Vance’s false characterization of the Haitian people living there.

Those migrants are primarily in the country legally under a program called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/temporary-protected-status-overview" target="_blank">Temporary Protected Status</a>. It offers work authorization for people who would face danger in their home countries, and has been in place since 1990.

CLAIM: In response to moderator Norah O’Donnell asking about Donald Trump’s claim that Walz supports abortions “in the ninth month,” Walz said “In Minnesota, what we did was restore Roe v. Wade.”

THE FACTS: Minnesota Democrats, with Walz’s support,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-politics-minnesota-state-government-timothy-walz-11c3b1d5269c929e442b979ff1bac73b" target="_blank">passed a bill in 2023</a>&nbsp;enshrining Minnesota’s existing abortion protections into law after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the nationwide right the year before. Abortion had already been protected under a 1995 state Supreme Court ruling guaranteeing women the right to an abortion.

The 2023 bill modified<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/10/01/this-minnesota-mom-detests-trumps-lies-about-abortion-and-her-pain/" target="_blank">&nbsp;some language governing care requirements</a>&nbsp;for infants “born alive” following an abortion procedure, but the law still states that any such infants “shall be fully recognized as a human person.” Abortions during the third trimester<a href="https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/issue-brief/abortions-later-in-pregnancy-in-a-post-dobbs-era/" target="_blank">&nbsp;typically only happen in the case of severe fetal abnormalities or threats</a>&nbsp;to the health of the mother.

There is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/state-indicator/gestational-limit-abortions/?currentTimeframe=0&amp;sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D" target="_blank">no gestational limit on abortions under Minnesota law</a>, but data from the state Department of Health<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240702062449/https://www.health.state.mn.us/data/mchs/pubs/abrpt/docs/2022abrpt.pdf" target="_blank">&nbsp;shows that only one or two abortions per year</a>&nbsp;happen at any point in the third trimester. More than 90% of abortions in the state happen during the first trimester.

CLAIM: Vance argued he and Trump would pursue “pro-family” policies and make fertility treatment more accessible. He also stated he never favored a national abortion ban, but rather described his position as “setting some minimum national standard.”

THE FACTS: Vance has repeatedly insisted he supports access to in vitro fertilization treatment, but he voted against a Senate measure to establish protections for it in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1182/vote_118_2_00197.htm" target="_blank">June&nbsp;</a>and skipped the vote when it came up again in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1182/vote_118_2_00242.htm" target="_blank">September</a>.

Vance’s framing of his position – minimum standards versus a ban – is little more than semantics. During his&nbsp;<a href="https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2022/10/19/three-takeaways-from-the-final-u-s-senate-debate/" target="_blank">2022 Senate campaign</a>, he expressed support for a bill cutting off access to abortion anywhere in the country after 15 weeks.

“You can have some minimum national standards, which is my view,” he said, “while allowing the states to make up their minds. California is going to have a different view than Ohio, that’s totally fine.”

Under that proposal states would be able to set abortion policies more restrictive than that 15-week cut off.

Vance was unwilling in that 2022 campaign to embrace the typical exceptions of rape, incest or the life of the mother.

“An incest exception looks different at three weeks of pregnancy versus 39 weeks of pregnancy,” he said.

CLAIM: On paid family leave, Walz said “We implemented it in Minnesota and we see growth.”

THE FACTS: In 2023, Walz&nbsp;<a href="https://www.house.mn.gov/NewLaws/story/2023/5501" target="_blank">signed Minnesota’s family and medical leave bill into law</a>. The bill creates a state-run insurance program guaranteeing up to 20 weeks paid time off per year to deal with family or medical issues. The program is funded, in part, by a new tax on employers and employees.

However the law&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/05/13/deed-says-minnesota-paid-leave-program-will-start-with-25-higher-payroll-tax-than-first-proposed/" target="_blank">will not take force until 2026</a>, and certain details — including the final payroll rate — are still being ironed out by state regulators. The effect on Minnesota’s economy remains unknown,&nbsp;<a href="https://equitablegrowth.org/factsheet-what-does-the-research-say-about-the-economics-of-paid-leave/" target="_blank">although many studies have shown</a>&nbsp;that paid leave requirements in other states and countries increase womens’ workforce participation and boost economic growth.

CLAIM: Vance claimed illegal immigration is driving up the cost of housing and alluded to a Federal Reserve study that drew a link between the two.

THE FACTS: Vance posed the idea to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell himself&nbsp;<a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/republicans-test-run-a-new-argument-immigration-can-cause-inflation-132337761.html" target="_blank">in July</a>. Powell expressed skepticism at the time, noting in the long run, immigration likely has a neutral impact on inflation, but he acknowledged there may be regional impacts on housing. A pair of Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas studies released that month bolster Powell’s argument. One suggested immigrants boosted the U.S. economy without contributing to inflation; the other noted immigrants “could put upward pressure on rents and house prices, particularly in the short run before new supply can be built.”

There doesn’t appear to be a Federal Reserve study drawing a bright line between immigration in housing prices. If anything, University of Michigan economist Justin Wolfers argued&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/JustinWolfers/status/1660712752946479105" target="_blank">last May</a>&nbsp;that the relationship between those variables is the opposite of what Vance suggested.

<a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-rental-housing-crisis-is-a-supply-problem-that-needs-supply-solutions/" target="_blank">Housing experts&nbsp;</a>have consistently said that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/when-will-housing-affordability-improve-spoiler-alert-it-will-take-some-time" target="_blank">an ongoing shortage</a>&nbsp;in housing supply has driven up costs.

CLAIM: Walz was asked to explain the discrepancy between his account of being in Hong Kong during the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and recent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/01/politics/tim-walz-china-tiananmen-square/index.html" target="_blank">reporting</a>&nbsp;showing he wasn’t there until months later.

THE FACTS: Walz acknowledged he was wrong: “I have not been perfect, and I have been a knucklehead at times. … All I said on this was, I got there that summer and misspoke on this. That is what I have said. So, I was in Hong Kong and China during the democracy protests, went in and from that I learned a lot of what needed to be in governance.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1727835042038.png" alt="Photo courtesy CBS via CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy CBS via CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/nickevans/">NICK EVANS</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/christopheringraham/">CHRISTOPHER INGRAHAM</a>Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance faced off Tuesday in their first and only vice presidential debate.But both brought up claims that were nothing new.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?538521-1/simulcast-cbs-news-vice-presidential-debate">Click here to watch a full replay of the debate&nbsp;&nbsp;</a>via CSPAN courtesy CBS&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Gov. <a href="https://twitter.com/Tim_Walz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Tim_Walz</a> on abortion: &quot;This is about health care. In Minnesota we are ranked first in health care for a reason. We trust women. We trust doctors.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/3YZpr6jrbz">pic.twitter.com/3YZpr6jrbz</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1841298078038438056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Sen. <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JDVance</a> on abortion: &quot;My party, we&#39;ve got to do so much better of a job at earning the American people&#39;s trust back on this issue where they, frankly, they just don&#39;t trust us...I want us as a Republican Party to be pro family is the fullest sense of the word.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/l1GE9Qfhzx">pic.twitter.com/l1GE9Qfhzx</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1841298293181038670?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/margbrennan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@margbrennan</a>: &quot;The audience can&#39;t hear you because your mics are cut.&quot; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VPDebate2024?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VPDebate2024</a> <a href="https://t.co/2BNCEhcK3l">pic.twitter.com/2BNCEhcK3l</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1841293277384856041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Sen. <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JDVance</a> on his past comments on Donald Trump: &quot;I was wrong on Donald Trump.&quot; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VPDebate2024?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VPDebate2024</a> <a href="https://t.co/EmbDyD6dER">pic.twitter.com/EmbDyD6dER</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1841297881279467778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Sen. <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JDVance</a> on building new homes: &quot;We don&#39;t want to blame immigrants for higher housing prices. But, we do want to blame Kamala Harris for letting in millions of illegal aliens into this country which does drive up costs.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/eeIrIPhXZM">pic.twitter.com/eeIrIPhXZM</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1841302412025327877?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">During exchange on gun violence: Sen. <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JDVance</a>: &quot;We have to empower law enforcement...our schools, we&#39;ve got to talk about more security.&quot; Gov. <a href="https://twitter.com/Tim_Walz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Tim_Walz</a>: &quot;I sat in that office with those Sandy Hook parents. I&#39;ve become friends with school shooters. I&#39;ve seen it.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/idFExcHbef">pic.twitter.com/idFExcHbef</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1841308417744425458?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Gov. <a href="https://twitter.com/Tim_Walz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Tim_Walz</a>: &quot;Did he lose the 2020 election?&quot; Sen. <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JDVance</a>: &quot;Tim, I&#39;m focused on the future. Did Kamala Harris censor Americans from speaking their mind in the wake of the 2020 COVID situation?&quot; Walz: &quot;That&#39;s a damning non-answer.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/v0PXnbuewL">pic.twitter.com/v0PXnbuewL</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1841309223096897957?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Gov. <a href="https://twitter.com/Tim_Walz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Tim_Walz</a> closing statement. <a href="https://t.co/iyjc6DT8Mu">pic.twitter.com/iyjc6DT8Mu</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1841312345404182981?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Sen. <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JDVance</a> closing statement. <a href="https://t.co/E4q4WtYkNu">pic.twitter.com/E4q4WtYkNu</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1841312447740739940?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Here’s a look at some of those claims and States Newsroom’s assessment of the facts.___CLAIM: Walz said Vance called his running mate, former President Donald Trump, unfit for the office of the presidency.THE FACTS: True. Vance said it in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/04/opinion/campaign-stops/why-trumps-antiwar-message-resonates-with-white-america.html?partner=slack&amp;smid=sl-share" target="_blank">New York Times op-ed in 2016.</a>&nbsp;The Washington Post&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/09/27/jd-vance-messages-trump-criticism-2020/" target="_blank">reported</a>&nbsp;that as recently as 2020 Vance criticized the Trump administration’s record, saying Trump “thoroughly failed to deliver.”Nevertheless, from the earliest stages of his U.S. Senate campaign in 2022, Vance described and defended his change of heart. At a&nbsp;<a href="https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2022/01/18/j-d-vance-takes-campaign-to-delaware-shooting-range/" target="_blank">campaign event in January that year</a>, he said, “I’m not gonna hide from the fact that I did not see Trump’s promise in the beginning but you know, he delivered,” Vance said. “He delivered, and he cared about people. And I think that’s important. It’s important (to) change your mind.”___CLAIM: Vance argued schools, hospitals and housing in Springfield, Ohio, are overwhelmed or unaffordable “because we brought in millions of illegal immigrants.” He added American citizens in Springfield have “had their lives destroyed by Kamala Harris’s open border.”THE FACTS: Vance and Trump have been the driving force behind&nbsp;<a href="https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2024/09/19/vance-spread-springfield-rumors-even-after-his-staff-was-told-they-were-false-news-report-says/" target="_blank">several smears of the Haitian community</a>&nbsp;in Springfield. Although the population influx&nbsp;<a href="https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2024/09/23/springfields-haitian-community-ready-for-attention-to-move-elsewhere/" target="_blank">has strained resources, state</a>&nbsp;and local officials – some of them Republicans – have rejected Vance’s false characterization of the Haitian people living there.Those migrants are primarily in the country legally under a program called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/temporary-protected-status-overview" target="_blank">Temporary Protected Status</a>. It offers work authorization for people who would face danger in their home countries, and has been in place since 1990.___CLAIM: In response to moderator Norah O’Donnell asking about Donald Trump’s claim that Walz supports abortions “in the ninth month,” Walz said “In Minnesota, what we did was restore Roe v. Wade.”THE FACTS: Minnesota Democrats, with Walz’s support,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-politics-minnesota-state-government-timothy-walz-11c3b1d5269c929e442b979ff1bac73b" target="_blank">passed a bill in 2023</a>&nbsp;enshrining Minnesota’s existing abortion protections into law after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the nationwide right the year before. Abortion had already been protected under a 1995 state Supreme Court ruling guaranteeing women the right to an abortion.The 2023 bill modified<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/10/01/this-minnesota-mom-detests-trumps-lies-about-abortion-and-her-pain/" target="_blank">&nbsp;some language governing care requirements</a>&nbsp;for infants “born alive” following an abortion procedure, but the law still states that any such infants “shall be fully recognized as a human person.” Abortions during the third trimester<a href="https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/issue-brief/abortions-later-in-pregnancy-in-a-post-dobbs-era/" target="_blank">&nbsp;typically only happen in the case of severe fetal abnormalities or threats</a>&nbsp;to the health of the mother.There is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/state-indicator/gestational-limit-abortions/?currentTimeframe=0&amp;sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D" target="_blank">no gestational limit on abortions under Minnesota law</a>, but data from the state Department of Health<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240702062449/https://www.health.state.mn.us/data/mchs/pubs/abrpt/docs/2022abrpt.pdf" target="_blank">&nbsp;shows that only one or two abortions per year</a>&nbsp;happen at any point in the third trimester. More than 90% of abortions in the state happen during the first trimester.___CLAIM: Vance argued he and Trump would pursue “pro-family” policies and make fertility treatment more accessible. He also stated he never favored a national abortion ban, but rather described his position as “setting some minimum national standard.”THE FACTS: Vance has repeatedly insisted he supports access to in vitro fertilization treatment, but he voted against a Senate measure to establish protections for it in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1182/vote_118_2_00197.htm" target="_blank">June&nbsp;</a>and skipped the vote when it came up again in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1182/vote_118_2_00242.htm" target="_blank">September</a>.Vance’s framing of his position – minimum standards versus a ban – is little more than semantics. During his&nbsp;<a href="https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2022/10/19/three-takeaways-from-the-final-u-s-senate-debate/" target="_blank">2022 Senate campaign</a>, he expressed support for a bill cutting off access to abortion anywhere in the country after 15 weeks.“You can have some minimum national standards, which is my view,” he said, “while allowing the states to make up their minds. California is going to have a different view than Ohio, that’s totally fine.”Under that proposal states would be able to set abortion policies more restrictive than that 15-week cut off.Vance was unwilling in that 2022 campaign to embrace the typical exceptions of rape, incest or the life of the mother.“An incest exception looks different at three weeks of pregnancy versus 39 weeks of pregnancy,” he said.___CLAIM: On paid family leave, Walz said “We implemented it in Minnesota and we see growth.”THE FACTS: In 2023, Walz&nbsp;<a href="https://www.house.mn.gov/NewLaws/story/2023/5501" target="_blank">signed Minnesota’s family and medical leave bill into law</a>. The bill creates a state-run insurance program guaranteeing up to 20 weeks paid time off per year to deal with family or medical issues. The program is funded, in part, by a new tax on employers and employees.However the law&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/05/13/deed-says-minnesota-paid-leave-program-will-start-with-25-higher-payroll-tax-than-first-proposed/" target="_blank">will not take force until 2026</a>, and certain details — including the final payroll rate — are still being ironed out by state regulators. The effect on Minnesota’s economy remains unknown,&nbsp;<a href="https://equitablegrowth.org/factsheet-what-does-the-research-say-about-the-economics-of-paid-leave/" target="_blank">although many studies have shown</a>&nbsp;that paid leave requirements in other states and countries increase womens’ workforce participation and boost economic growth.___CLAIM: Vance claimed illegal immigration is driving up the cost of housing and alluded to a Federal Reserve study that drew a link between the two.THE FACTS: Vance posed the idea to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell himself&nbsp;<a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/republicans-test-run-a-new-argument-immigration-can-cause-inflation-132337761.html" target="_blank">in July</a>. Powell expressed skepticism at the time, noting in the long run, immigration likely has a neutral impact on inflation, but he acknowledged there may be regional impacts on housing. A pair of Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas studies released that month bolster Powell’s argument. One suggested immigrants boosted the U.S. economy without contributing to inflation; the other noted immigrants “could put upward pressure on rents and house prices, particularly in the short run before new supply can be built.”There doesn’t appear to be a Federal Reserve study drawing a bright line between immigration in housing prices. If anything, University of Michigan economist Justin Wolfers argued&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/JustinWolfers/status/1660712752946479105" target="_blank">last May</a>&nbsp;that the relationship between those variables is the opposite of what Vance suggested.<a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-rental-housing-crisis-is-a-supply-problem-that-needs-supply-solutions/" target="_blank">Housing experts&nbsp;</a>have consistently said that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/when-will-housing-affordability-improve-spoiler-alert-it-will-take-some-time" target="_blank">an ongoing shortage</a>&nbsp;in housing supply has driven up costs.___CLAIM: Walz was asked to explain the discrepancy between his account of being in Hong Kong during the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and recent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/01/politics/tim-walz-china-tiananmen-square/index.html" target="_blank">reporting</a>&nbsp;showing he wasn’t there until months later.THE FACTS: Walz acknowledged he was wrong: “I have not been perfect, and I have been a knucklehead at times. … All I said on this was, I got there that summer and misspoke on this. That is what I have said. So, I was in Hong Kong and China during the democracy protests, went in and from that I learned a lot of what needed to be in governance.”

🎥Fact check: States Newsroom assesses claims from the Vance-Walz vice presidential debate

Lincoln, NE – October 1, 2024 – Today the Nebraska Lottery announced a significant milestone in its 30-year history: transferring over $1 billion in proceeds back to Nebraska since 1993.

“When you buy a Nebraska Lottery ticket, you’re supporting good causes all across our state,” said Brian Rockey, Nebraska Lottery Director. “Around 25 cents of every dollar spent on lottery products goes to support the environment, education, the Nebraska State Fair, and problem gamblers assistance. We are extremely proud of our record of making a difference in Nebraska along with our players and retailers. Together we’re Building a Better Nebraska.”

Lottery proceeds from the sale of Scratch and Lotto tickets have been distributed in quarterly transfers since the Nebraska Lottery began operation on September 11, 1993. The latest transfer of $11,390,517, made the week of September 30, brought the total transferred to $1,002,980,662.

All 93 counties in Nebraska have benefited from projects funded with these Nebraska Lottery proceeds. Projects supported with lottery proceeds include restoring habitat for wildlife, grants for Nebraska college students, improvements at the Nebraska State Fair, and help for Nebraskans dealing with gambling addiction.

The Nebraska Environmental Trust operates a competitive grant program for natural resources projects. “Since the Nebraska Lottery began operation on September 11, 1993, over $430 million has been allocated by the Nebraska State Constitution to the Nebraska Environmental Trust (NET) for projects that impact Habitat, Surface and Ground Water, Waste Management, Air Quality, and Soil Management in Nebraska,” said Karl Elmshaeuser, Executive Director of the Nebraska Environmental Trust. “The NET continues to manage the public funds entrusted to it, to benefit the citizens of Nebraska and the natural environment in which we live.”

The Nebraska Opportunity Grant program receives the largest share of lottery proceeds for education. “College costs are the number one reason given by people who don’t attend college or dropout without completing a certificate or a degree, and financial aid is a lifeline for many students,” said Dr. Michael Baumgartner, Executive Director of the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education. “Nebraska Lottery proceeds distributed to the Nebraska Opportunity Grant program have helped hundreds of thousands of Nebraska students pay for their college education over the past three decades, benefitting them, their families, and all Nebraskans.”

The Nebraska State Fair was added as a Lottery beneficiary fund in 2004. “Ag education is embedded in the Nebraska State Fair mission. With tens-of-thousands of Nebraskans showcasing their talents at the event each year, the Nebraska Lottery has given us the opportunity to make a safe and comfortable event for every Nebraskan to attend while also supporting the roots of agriculture and tradition in our state,” said Jaime Parr, Executive Director of the Nebraska State Fair.

“The Nebraska Lottery continues to be a strong and impactful funding mechanism to the Nebraska State Fair which creates opportunities for Nebraskans of all ages to enjoy this 155-year tradition and celebration of our state,” said Parr. “When the State Fair relocated to Grand Island in 2010, the necessary facilities to make that transition were made possible through Nebraska Lottery. The State Fair has grown and adapted each year to meet the wishes of our patrons, thanks to the support provided by the Lottery.”

Free help for Nebraskans dealing with gambling addiction is provided by the Gamblers Assistance Program. “Proceeds transferred to the Gamblers Assistance Program have enabled the program to train counselors in the specialty of addiction to gambling, provide continuing education, and offer free counseling services to Nebraskans and their families at thirty clinics located in eleven towns and cities in Nebraska,” said David Geier, Director of the Nebraska Problem Gamblers Assistance Program. “As gambling continues to expand, Gamblers Assistance will be a vital service for those who experience problems due to unrestrained gambling.”

Amendment 4 passed by Nebraska voters in November of 2004 established the following distribution formula:

Education as directed by the Legislature (44.5%)

Problem Gamblers Assistance ($500,000 plus 1% of remaining proceeds)

Prior to July 1, 1997, the Solid Waste Landfill Closure Assistance Fund received proceeds totaling $18,460,996. In 2004, the Legislature directed that a one-time transfer of $5 million be made to the State General Fund.

Criteria for proceeds distribution are established by the beneficiary funds in accordance with legislative mandates. Every county in Nebraska has received service through grants funded with Nebraska Lottery proceeds.

The Nebraska Lottery marked $4 billion in total sales (since 1993) in April 2024.

Neil WatsonNebraska LotteryLincoln, NE – October 1, 2024 – Today the Nebraska Lottery announced a significant milestone in its 30-year history: transferring over $1 billion in proceeds back to Nebraska since 1993.“When you buy a Nebraska Lottery ticket, you’re supporting good causes all across our state,” said Brian Rockey, Nebraska Lottery Director. “Around 25 cents of every dollar spent on lottery products goes to support the environment, education, the Nebraska State Fair, and problem gamblers assistance. We are extremely proud of our record of making a difference in Nebraska along with our players and retailers. Together we’re Building a Better Nebraska.”Lottery proceeds from the sale of Scratch and Lotto tickets have been distributed in quarterly transfers since the Nebraska Lottery began operation on September 11, 1993. The latest transfer of $11,390,517, made the week of September 30, brought the total transferred to $1,002,980,662.All 93 counties in Nebraska have benefited from projects funded with these Nebraska Lottery proceeds. Projects supported with lottery proceeds include restoring habitat for wildlife, grants for Nebraska college students, improvements at the Nebraska State Fair, and help for Nebraskans dealing with gambling addiction.The Nebraska Environmental Trust operates a competitive grant program for natural resources projects. “Since the Nebraska Lottery began operation on September 11, 1993, over $430 million has been allocated by the Nebraska State Constitution to the Nebraska Environmental Trust (NET) for projects that impact Habitat, Surface and Ground Water, Waste Management, Air Quality, and Soil Management in Nebraska,” said Karl Elmshaeuser, Executive Director of the Nebraska Environmental Trust. “The NET continues to manage the public funds entrusted to it, to benefit the citizens of Nebraska and the natural environment in which we live.”The Nebraska Opportunity Grant program receives the largest share of lottery proceeds for education. “College costs are the number one reason given by people who don’t attend college or dropout without completing a certificate or a degree, and financial aid is a lifeline for many students,” said Dr. Michael Baumgartner, Executive Director of the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education. “Nebraska Lottery proceeds distributed to the Nebraska Opportunity Grant program have helped hundreds of thousands of Nebraska students pay for their college education over the past three decades, benefitting them, their families, and all Nebraskans.”The Nebraska State Fair was added as a Lottery beneficiary fund in 2004. “Ag education is embedded in the Nebraska State Fair mission. With tens-of-thousands of Nebraskans showcasing their talents at the event each year, the Nebraska Lottery has given us the opportunity to make a safe and comfortable event for every Nebraskan to attend while also supporting the roots of agriculture and tradition in our state,” said Jaime Parr, Executive Director of the Nebraska State Fair.“The Nebraska Lottery continues to be a strong and impactful funding mechanism to the Nebraska State Fair which creates opportunities for Nebraskans of all ages to enjoy this 155-year tradition and celebration of our state,” said Parr. “When the State Fair relocated to Grand Island in 2010, the necessary facilities to make that transition were made possible through Nebraska Lottery. The State Fair has grown and adapted each year to meet the wishes of our patrons, thanks to the support provided by the Lottery.”Free help for Nebraskans dealing with gambling addiction is provided by the Gamblers Assistance Program. “Proceeds transferred to the Gamblers Assistance Program have enabled the program to train counselors in the specialty of addiction to gambling, provide continuing education, and offer free counseling services to Nebraskans and their families at thirty clinics located in eleven towns and cities in Nebraska,” said David Geier, Director of the Nebraska Problem Gamblers Assistance Program. “As gambling continues to expand, Gamblers Assistance will be a vital service for those who experience problems due to unrestrained gambling.”Amendment 4 passed by Nebraska voters in November of 2004 established the following distribution formula:Nebraska Environmental Trust (44.5%)$430,726,658 since 1993Education as directed by the Legislature (44.5%)$449,187,654 since 1993Nebraska State Fair (10%)$77,250,544 since 2005Problem Gamblers Assistance ($500,000 plus 1% of remaining proceeds)$22,354,810 since 1993Prior to July 1, 1997, the Solid Waste Landfill Closure Assistance Fund received proceeds totaling $18,460,996. In 2004, the Legislature directed that a one-time transfer of $5 million be made to the State General Fund.Criteria for proceeds distribution are established by the beneficiary funds in accordance with legislative mandates. Every county in Nebraska has received service through grants funded with Nebraska Lottery proceeds.The Nebraska Lottery marked $4 billion in total sales (since 1993) in April 2024.

Nebraska Lottery Transfers $1 Billion in Proceeds Since 1993

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/30/survey-shows-nebraska-rural-youths-like-their-small-town-living/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — Five years of data from a student survey coordinated by the Nebraska Community Foundation is in. The consensus: Rural youths like their small-town living.

The foundation on Monday released&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nebcommfound.org/news/five-years-of-nebraska-youth-survey-data-reveal-strong-preference-for-rural-communities/" target="_blank">cumulative results</a>&nbsp;of an annual youth survey conducted since 2020 in partnership with the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Respondents are about 4,000 middle and high school students from 43 schools in cities and towns as small as Diller, population less than 250, and as large as Norfolk, which has nearly 26,000 residents.

With a network that stretches across 270 Nebraska communities, foundation officials said the survey was designed to better understand priorities and perspectives of young people growing up in rural areas — and their expectations for the future.

An goal is talent retention, said the survey team.&nbsp;

Brain drain, or educated professionals leaving the state, has been&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/18/nebraska-brain-drain-persists-plus-another-alarm-is-raised-by-new-census-data/">a persistent concern</a>, noted Josie Schafer, who heads CPAR at UNO.&nbsp;

But the exodus of Nebraskans overall from the state, those of all ages and education levels combined, has slowed down, according to the most recent U.S. Census data for 2023. That suggests that perhaps younger people may not be fleeing in the same way and speed as in the past, Schafer said. Specific and updated brain drain census data won’t be available until later this year.

Jeff Yost, president and CEO of the foundation, said he is encouraged by the findings of the rural youth survey.

“In our global society, young people have more options than ever, but because of technology, the opportunities our rural communities present are also abundant,” he said. “These five years of data indicate great promise for the future of our rural hometowns and our state.”

Key five-year findings reported by the foundation:

Schafer said the multi-year trend of the Greater Nebraska Youth Survey shows that, for the most part, “rural youth really love their communities.”

The middle and high schoolers feel positive about what their hometowns have to offer, she said.

However, respondents cited job opportunities elsewhere as the main reason they would not live in their community as an adult.&nbsp;

According to a more extensive 2023 survey, students said they recognized availability of health care and agriculture jobs in their towns, but do not see as much opportunity in other fields of interest such as the arts, recreation, tourism, business management, information technology and media.

That’s when “we worry they might trail off” and look for bigger places with more growth for economic advancement, Schafer said.

“Can we promise brain drain will turn around? I can’t,” she said. “But the kind of energy and passion we see from these youths (who participated in the survey) is a good sign.”

Schafer said the data offers more clarity to rural communities about what they’re doing well and where opportunity exists to keep young people in their midst.

Since the survey was launched in 2020, for example, only 34% of students have agreed with the statement: “I play a role in this community.”

Foundation representatives said their affiliates are seeking ways to better engage youths with decision-making opportunities that could strengthen ties.&nbsp;

The foundation said in a news release that the survey reinforced the importance of inclusion, equity and diversity — “something students say is of great value to the places they choose to live in the future.”

Can we promise brain drain will turn around? I can’t. But the kind of energy and passion we see from these youths is a good sign.

– Josie Schafer, Center for Public Affairs Research

Headquartered in Lincoln, the foundation said that since 1994 it has reinvested $553 million in Nebraska’s people and places.

Carrie Malek-Madani, foundation spokeswoman, said this year’s youth survey was less widespread than prior years but capped a five-year accumulation of data with just over 4,000 respondents. She said organizers view results as solid and received confirmation of trends they saw early on.

Basic key questions remained consistent over the years, though some questions were added as years went on.

The foundation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nebcommfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-Youth-Survey-REPORT-1.pdf" target="_blank">last year surveyed</a>&nbsp;nearly 1,000 students and<a href="https://www.nebcommfound.org/news/greater-nebraska-youth-survey-reveals-students-prefer-small-towns-desire-safety/" target="_blank">&nbsp;reported that, overall, t</a>he group expressed positive sentiments about their communities. Differences were evident, however, when broken down by gender identity, race and ethnicity. Female students, for instance, reported being less likely to live in their current community as adults.

Students of color reported feeling less connected to their communities and were more likely to report having been bullied and having witnessed someone being treated unfairly in the community due to age, race, gender, sexual orientation, physical illness or mental health, the foundation said.&nbsp;

Three-fourths of all students reported they would act to stop unfair treatment, and 60% said they were likely to advocate for diversity and inclusion.

Malek-Madani said that when the survey began, some were surprised at the degree of positive attachment youths felt to their communities.

Conventional thought was that rural youths want to move on to bigger places as soon as they can, she said. “I think there’s been a real shift.”

Malek-Madani said the youths surveyed consistently ranked safety, good schools and proximity to family as aspects of their ideal community.

“Small towns offer those things,” she said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1727810102504.jpeg" alt=" (Courtesy of Nebraska Community Foundation)" />
 <figcaption> (Courtesy of Nebraska Community Foundation)</figcaption>
 </figure>Cindy Gonzalez<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/30/survey-shows-nebraska-rural-youths-like-their-small-town-living/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — Five years of data from a student survey coordinated by the Nebraska Community Foundation is in. The consensus: Rural youths like their small-town living.The foundation on Monday released&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nebcommfound.org/news/five-years-of-nebraska-youth-survey-data-reveal-strong-preference-for-rural-communities/" target="_blank">cumulative results</a>&nbsp;of an annual youth survey conducted since 2020 in partnership with the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.Respondents are about 4,000 middle and high school students from 43 schools in cities and towns as small as Diller, population less than 250, and as large as Norfolk, which has nearly 26,000 residents.<h2>Future of rural Nebraska</h2>With a network that stretches across 270 Nebraska communities, foundation officials said the survey was designed to better understand priorities and perspectives of young people growing up in rural areas — and their expectations for the future.An goal is talent retention, said the survey team.&nbsp;Brain drain, or educated professionals leaving the state, has been&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/18/nebraska-brain-drain-persists-plus-another-alarm-is-raised-by-new-census-data/">a persistent concern</a>, noted Josie Schafer, who heads CPAR at UNO.&nbsp;But the exodus of Nebraskans overall from the state, those of all ages and education levels combined, has slowed down, according to the most recent U.S. Census data for 2023. That suggests that perhaps younger people may not be fleeing in the same way and speed as in the past, Schafer said. Specific and updated brain drain census data won’t be available until later this year.Jeff Yost, president and CEO of the foundation, said he is encouraged by the findings of the rural youth survey.“In our global society, young people have more options than ever, but because of technology, the opportunities our rural communities present are also abundant,” he said. “These five years of data indicate great promise for the future of our rural hometowns and our state.”<h2>Survey highlights</h2>Key five-year findings reported by the foundation:<ul>
 <li>Nearly three-fourths reported no negative stigma with returning or staying in the place they now lived.</li><li>Of the students surveyed, 59% said they were somewhat or extremely likely to live in the area they now live when they are an adult. In 2020, 68% of the students surveyed said they felt connected to the place they lived. The cumulative five-year percentage showed 76% reporting connection to their community.</li><li>When asked about ideal community size, students most often answered “small like my hometown.” In 2020, 47% of those surveyed answered as such, and in the following years that percentage rose, averaging 55% over the five years.</li><li>When asked to rank qualities of an ideal community, students put safety from violence at the top. Good schools and proximity to family followed, in that order, for five straight years.</li>
 </ul>Schafer said the multi-year trend of the Greater Nebraska Youth Survey shows that, for the most part, “rural youth really love their communities.”The middle and high schoolers feel positive about what their hometowns have to offer, she said.However, respondents cited job opportunities elsewhere as the main reason they would not live in their community as an adult.&nbsp;According to a more extensive 2023 survey, students said they recognized availability of health care and agriculture jobs in their towns, but do not see as much opportunity in other fields of interest such as the arts, recreation, tourism, business management, information technology and media.That’s when “we worry they might trail off” and look for bigger places with more growth for economic advancement, Schafer said.“Can we promise brain drain will turn around? I can’t,” she said. “But the kind of energy and passion we see from these youths (who participated in the survey) is a good sign.”<h2>DEI valued by youth</h2>Schafer said the data offers more clarity to rural communities about what they’re doing well and where opportunity exists to keep young people in their midst.Since the survey was launched in 2020, for example, only 34% of students have agreed with the statement: “I play a role in this community.”Foundation representatives said their affiliates are seeking ways to better engage youths with decision-making opportunities that could strengthen ties.&nbsp;The foundation said in a news release that the survey reinforced the importance of inclusion, equity and diversity — “something students say is of great value to the places they choose to live in the future.”Can we promise brain drain will turn around? I can’t. But the kind of energy and passion we see from these youths is a good sign.– Josie Schafer, Center for Public Affairs ResearchHeadquartered in Lincoln, the foundation said that since 1994 it has reinvested $553 million in Nebraska’s people and places.Carrie Malek-Madani, foundation spokeswoman, said this year’s youth survey was less widespread than prior years but capped a five-year accumulation of data with just over 4,000 respondents. She said organizers view results as solid and received confirmation of trends they saw early on.Basic key questions remained consistent over the years, though some questions were added as years went on.<h2>Differences arise by gender, race</h2>The foundation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nebcommfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-Youth-Survey-REPORT-1.pdf" target="_blank">last year surveyed</a>&nbsp;nearly 1,000 students and<a href="https://www.nebcommfound.org/news/greater-nebraska-youth-survey-reveals-students-prefer-small-towns-desire-safety/" target="_blank">&nbsp;reported that, overall, t</a>he group expressed positive sentiments about their communities. Differences were evident, however, when broken down by gender identity, race and ethnicity. Female students, for instance, reported being less likely to live in their current community as adults.Students of color reported feeling less connected to their communities and were more likely to report having been bullied and having witnessed someone being treated unfairly in the community due to age, race, gender, sexual orientation, physical illness or mental health, the foundation said.&nbsp;Three-fourths of all students reported they would act to stop unfair treatment, and 60% said they were likely to advocate for diversity and inclusion.Malek-Madani said that when the survey began, some were surprised at the degree of positive attachment youths felt to their communities.Conventional thought was that rural youths want to move on to bigger places as soon as they can, she said. “I think there’s been a real shift.”Malek-Madani said the youths surveyed consistently ranked safety, good schools and proximity to family as aspects of their ideal community.“Small towns offer those things,” she said.

Survey shows Nebraska rural youths like their small-town living

Nebraska Department of Veterans' Affairs

KEARNEY, NEB. – The Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs (NDVA) hosted its 3rd&nbsp;annual Nebraska Women Veterans Symposium September 28&nbsp;and 29 in Kearney. Over 100 women veterans from nearly 40 different Nebraska cities and towns attended the free two-day event to learn about veteran benefits, connect with community resources, and network with fellow women veterans.

“Every year this symposium reminds me of how many people and organizations truly care about our women veterans and want to support them however they can,” said NDVA Women Veterans Coordinator Erin Colson. “We want our women veterans to know there are resources available for them and their families, NDVA is here to recognize and support them, and their fellow women veterans are here to uplift and empower them.”

The symposium featured a keynote from retired Major General Mary Link, former commanding general of the Army Reserve Medical Command. She summarized her extensive military career and shared some of the advice she learned during her over three decades of service. Other presenters included Lourdes Tiglao, executive director of the Center for Women Veterans, who traveled from Washington, DC, to speak at the event, as well as a range of representatives from U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) departments and programs, including Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Suicide Prevention, MOVE! Program, Veteran Readiness and Employment, Whole Health, and Veterans Benefits Administration. New Century Art Guild was on hand for a tie-dyeing activity.

“Our women veterans symposium has continued to grow each year, both in the number of attendees and the amount of resources and information provided,”&nbsp;said NDVA Director John Hilgert. “I’m proud of the work our agency has done to reach out&nbsp;to serve the ever-increasing number of women who serve in our armed forces. We are here to serve all of Nebraska’s veterans, and getting out and hosting events like this symposium is an important component in ensuring we do that.”

An exhibitor area at the symposium featured representatives from the presenting organizations as well as other veterans service organizations and non-profits with resources to share with veterans. This included American Legion Department of Nebraska, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Department of Nebraska, Disabled American Veterans, Central Nebraska Community Action Partnership, Nebraska Arts Council, Drug Enforcement Administration, Warrior Writers, PGA Hope, JAVELAN, AARP, Dog Tags Garage, At Ease USA, HeArts for Healing, and Brain Injury Alliance.

Financial support for the conference came from VFW Department of Nebraska, Wounded Warrior Family Support, Girl Scout Troop 48692, and Shadow Anesthesia Services.

NDVA’s mission is to honor Nebraska veterans and their families by providing excellent service, assistance, and care. Its state service office helps veterans identify and access federal benefits, such as disability compensation and healthcare through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and state benefits, such as Nebraska Veterans Aid funds, tuition waivers, and more. Its four state veterans’ homes offer high quality assisted living and skilled nursing care to veterans and eligible family members across the state. And its cemetery system ensures eligible veterans receive an honorable final resting place maintained to the highest national standards. To learn more about NDVA and how it serves Nebraska’s veterans and their families, please visit&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://veterans.nebraska.gov/">veterans.nebraska.gov</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1727796768047.png" alt="Retired Major General Mary Link gives keynote remarks at the 2024 Nebraska Women Veterans Symposium (Courtesy Photo)" />
 <figcaption>Retired Major General Mary Link gives keynote remarks at the 2024 Nebraska Women Veterans Symposium (Courtesy Photo)</figcaption>
 </figure>Nebraska Department of Veterans' AffairsKEARNEY, NEB. – The Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs (NDVA) hosted its 3rd&nbsp;annual Nebraska Women Veterans Symposium September 28&nbsp;and 29 in Kearney. Over 100 women veterans from nearly 40 different Nebraska cities and towns attended the free two-day event to learn about veteran benefits, connect with community resources, and network with fellow women veterans.“Every year this symposium reminds me of how many people and organizations truly care about our women veterans and want to support them however they can,” said NDVA Women Veterans Coordinator Erin Colson. “We want our women veterans to know there are resources available for them and their families, NDVA is here to recognize and support them, and their fellow women veterans are here to uplift and empower them.”The symposium featured a keynote from retired Major General Mary Link, former commanding general of the Army Reserve Medical Command. She summarized her extensive military career and shared some of the advice she learned during her over three decades of service. Other presenters included Lourdes Tiglao, executive director of the Center for Women Veterans, who traveled from Washington, DC, to speak at the event, as well as a range of representatives from U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) departments and programs, including Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Suicide Prevention, MOVE! Program, Veteran Readiness and Employment, Whole Health, and Veterans Benefits Administration. New Century Art Guild was on hand for a tie-dyeing activity.“Our women veterans symposium has continued to grow each year, both in the number of attendees and the amount of resources and information provided,”&nbsp;said NDVA Director John Hilgert. “I’m proud of the work our agency has done to reach out&nbsp;to serve the ever-increasing number of women who serve in our armed forces. We are here to serve all of Nebraska’s veterans, and getting out and hosting events like this symposium is an important component in ensuring we do that.”An exhibitor area at the symposium featured representatives from the presenting organizations as well as other veterans service organizations and non-profits with resources to share with veterans. This included American Legion Department of Nebraska, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Department of Nebraska, Disabled American Veterans, Central Nebraska Community Action Partnership, Nebraska Arts Council, Drug Enforcement Administration, Warrior Writers, PGA Hope, JAVELAN, AARP, Dog Tags Garage, At Ease USA, HeArts for Healing, and Brain Injury Alliance.Financial support for the conference came from VFW Department of Nebraska, Wounded Warrior Family Support, Girl Scout Troop 48692, and Shadow Anesthesia Services.NDVA’s mission is to honor Nebraska veterans and their families by providing excellent service, assistance, and care. Its state service office helps veterans identify and access federal benefits, such as disability compensation and healthcare through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and state benefits, such as Nebraska Veterans Aid funds, tuition waivers, and more. Its four state veterans’ homes offer high quality assisted living and skilled nursing care to veterans and eligible family members across the state. And its cemetery system ensures eligible veterans receive an honorable final resting place maintained to the highest national standards. To learn more about NDVA and how it serves Nebraska’s veterans and their families, please visit&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://veterans.nebraska.gov/">veterans.nebraska.gov</a>.

 NDVA Hosts 3rd Annual Nebraska Women Veterans Symposium

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) released&nbsp; video Tuesday showing a routine interception of Two Russian Tu-95MS “Bear” Strategic Bombers by U.S. Air Force F16 Fighters on September 23.

The Russian aircraft had entered the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). During the encounter, the Su-35 that was escorting the Russian Bombers, began behaving eratically and nearly collided with one of the F-16s.

“The NORAD aircraft flew a safe and disciplined intercept of Russian Military Aircraft in the Alaska ADIZ.  The conduct of one Russian Su-35 was unsafe, unprofessional, and endangered all – not what you’d see in a professional air force," according to General Gregory Guillot,&nbsp;commander of United States Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) released&nbsp; video Tuesday showing a routine interception of Two Russian Tu-95MS “Bear” Strategic Bombers by U.S. Air Force F16 Fighters on September 23.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">“On Sept 23, 2024, NORAD aircraft flew a safe and disciplined intercept of Russian Military Aircraft in the Alaska ADIZ. The conduct of one Russian Su-35 was unsafe, unprofessional, and endangered all – not what you’d see in a professional air force.” – Gen. Gregory Guillot <a href="https://t.co/gXZj3Ndkag">pic.twitter.com/gXZj3Ndkag</a>&mdash; North American Aerospace Defense Command (@NORADCommand) <a href="https://twitter.com/NORADCommand/status/1840776113846468898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Russian aircraft had entered the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). During the encounter, the Su-35 that was escorting the Russian Bombers, began behaving eratically and nearly collided with one of the F-16s.“The NORAD aircraft flew a safe and disciplined intercept of Russian Military Aircraft in the Alaska ADIZ. The conduct of one Russian Su-35 was unsafe, unprofessional, and endangered all – not what you’d see in a professional air force," according to General Gregory Guillot,&nbsp;commander of United States Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command.

🎥Russian jet comes within 50 feet of US fighter off coast of Alaska

HOUSTON —The International Longshoremen’s Association shut down all ports from Maine to Texas at 12:01am on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, as tens of thousands of ILA rank-and-file members began setting up picket lines at waterfront facilities up and down the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, according to a media release from the Union.

The ILA rejected United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) final proposal made on Monday, setting the stage for the first ILA coast wide strike in almost 50 years.  The USMX last offer fell far short of what ILA rank-and-file members are demanding in wages and protections against automation.

“USMX brought on this strike when they decided to hold firm to foreign owned Ocean Carriers earning billion-dollar profits at United States ports, but not compensate the American ILA longshore workers who perform the labor that brings them their wealth,” said President Harold Daggett, the leader of the 85,000-member ILA union.

 “We are prepared to fight as long as necessary, to stay out on strike for whatever period of time it takes, to get the wages and protections against automation our ILA members deserve.”Even the leaders in Washington who encouraged the ILA and USMX to keep negotiations going up until the September 30th deadline, concluded on Monday that USMX and the greedy foreign companies they represent are only interested in protecting their fat revenues and not taking care of hard-working ILA longshore workers.

The ILA said USMX’s supposed wage increase offer fell far short of the demands of ILA rank-and-file members for them to ratify a new contract.“USMX owns this strike now,” said ILA President Daggett.  “They now must meet our demands for this strike to end.”    Contact:  Jim McNamara, ILA.  jmcnamara@ilaunion.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727747586214.png" alt="Image ILA" />
 <figcaption>Image ILA</figcaption>
 </figure>HOUSTON —The International Longshoremen’s Association shut down all ports from Maine to Texas at 12:01am on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, as tens of thousands of ILA rank-and-file members began setting up picket lines at waterfront facilities up and down the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, according to a media release from the Union.The ILA rejected United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) final proposal made on Monday, setting the stage for the first ILA coast wide strike in almost 50 years. The USMX last offer fell far short of what ILA rank-and-file members are demanding in wages and protections against automation.“USMX brought on this strike when they decided to hold firm to foreign owned Ocean Carriers earning billion-dollar profits at United States ports, but not compensate the American ILA longshore workers who perform the labor that brings them their wealth,” said President Harold Daggett, the leader of the 85,000-member ILA union.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1727776601084.png" alt="Image courtesy ILA" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy ILA</figcaption>
 </figure> “We are prepared to fight as long as necessary, to stay out on strike for whatever period of time it takes, to get the wages and protections against automation our ILA members deserve.”Even the leaders in Washington who encouraged the ILA and USMX to keep negotiations going up until the September 30th deadline, concluded on Monday that USMX and the greedy foreign companies they represent are only interested in protecting their fat revenues and not taking care of hard-working ILA longshore workers.The ILA said USMX’s supposed wage increase offer fell far short of the demands of ILA rank-and-file members for them to ratify a new contract.“USMX owns this strike now,” said ILA President Daggett. “They now must meet our demands for this strike to end.” Contact: Jim McNamara, ILA. jmcnamara@ilaunion.org.

Dockworkers at ports from Maine to Texas go on strike

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/27/district-court-judge-dismisses-some-but-not-all-charges-in-nebraska-medical-cannabis-lawsuit/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — A Lancaster County District Court judge Friday allowed a lawsuit against the state’s active medical cannabis petitions to move forward.

Judge Susan Strong, in a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/strong-MTD-kuehn-lawsuit.pdf">14-page ruling</a>, determined that the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/12/lawsuit-seeks-to-invalidate-nebraskas-medical-marijuana-ballot-measures/">lawsuit</a>&nbsp;from John Kuehn, a veterinarian, rancher, former state senator and former member of the Nebraska State Board of Health, should proceed on two counts that&nbsp;relate&nbsp;to voter signatures. The judge dismissed the other complaints on a ballot sponsor statement and the Nebraska Constitution’s “single subject” rule.

For the lawsuit to move forward, Kuehn needed to allege “sufficient facts” for relief “that is plausible on its face,” which Strong said she balanced with the public’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/articles.php?article=III-2" target="_blank">right to petition</a>.

“We have repeatedly said that the right to initiative is precious to the people and one which the courts are zealous to preserve to the fullest tenable measure of spirit as well as letter,” the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled in a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/13/dueling-abortion-measures-make-ballot-nebraska-supreme-court-decides/#:~:text=By%3A%20Aaron%20Sanderford%20%2D%20September%2013%2C%202024%208%3A18%20am&amp;text=LINCOLN%20%E2%80%94%20The%20Nebraska%20Supreme%20Court,Wade%20was%20overturned%20in%202022.">related lawsuit</a>&nbsp;two weeks ago, which Strong cited Friday.

There are two petitions in circulation that would adopt the following state laws, if given voter approval:

Kuehn has alleged there are more than enough improperly counted valid signatures that the two medical cannabis petitions should be withheld from the Nov. 5 ballot. If that is impossible, but there are still enough invalid signatures, Kuehn argued those election results should be void.

The campaign needs&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/13/medical-marijuana-legalization-and-regulation-are-certified-for-nebraskas-november-ballot/">86,499 valid signatures</a>&nbsp;on each of its two petitions to regulate and legalize the drug. Secretary of State Bob Evnen, who is also named in the lawsuit,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/13/secretary-of-state-celebrates-local-election-officials-in-finalizing-nebraskas-fall-2024-ballot/">validated nearly 90,000 signatures on both petitions Sept. 13</a>, the final day to do so.

That leaves just about 3,000 signatures in wiggle room for the bulk signature requirement.

Kuehn has alleged that on at least one petition,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/25/attorneys-weigh-in-on-whether-to-dismiss-nebraska-medical-cannabis-lawsuit/">upward of at least 17,000 signatures</a>&nbsp;were validated but should have been discarded. Those allegations range from signers not being registered voters or Evnen counting duplicative signatures to improper notarizations, circulator payment disclosures or incomplete voter information like date of birth and home address.

Strong cites Kuehn’s allegations that at least 2,433 signers were not registered voters, that 48 signers didn’t register to vote until after the petition was due July 3 or that 67 people signed more than once but were counted both times.

The ballot sponsors don’t dispute that if some of the “laundry list of reasons” are accurate, some signatures should not have been counted, Strong wrote. But the sponsors also say the main requirement that a signer be registered to vote wouldn’t be enough to invalidate the petitions.

Defining a ‘clerical and technical error’

Strong said&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=32-1409" target="_blank">state law</a>&nbsp;does allow some “clerical and technical errors” to be disregarded if certain other signature-gathering requirements are “substantially followed.” But defining what is a “technical” error will likely be the next step as Strong said it isn’t purely a question of law.

“The Court agrees with the Sponsors that not every error or irregularity should invalidate a signature,” Strong wrote.

As an example, she said, whether it is a technical error that some signatures&nbsp;don’t include&nbsp;a date when the voter signed&nbsp;but&nbsp;are “sandwiched” between two other signatures with the same date.

“Obviously, the language of the Nebraska Constitution and statutes is also relevant to whether a defect is technical or clerical,” Strong wrote. “But the Court declines to resolve this issue at the pleadings stage based only on the Court’s opinion of the relative importance of the statutory requirements allegedly violated.”

Strong allowed the case to move forward to determine whether there are enough signatures in a broader review.

Crista Eggers, campaign manager for the ballot measures, said in a statement the group is grateful for Strong’s decision to dismiss two complaints and “will continue to exercise all legal options” against the signature-based challenges.

“We have complete confidence that our local election officials correctly and accurately validated the petition signatures, and that our campaign met all legal requirements to appear on the ballot,” Eggers said. “We remain focused on making sure all Nebraskans have their voice heard on this issue.”

Kuehn’s attorneys had no immediate comment.

Separate complaint from secretary of state

Evnen and Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers specifically asked the court in a separate “cross-claim” to take up the case, particularly after uncovering at least one instance of alleged petition fraud by a paid petition circulator in Grand Island, who was arrested for allegedly forging signatures. Those signatures were never counted, election officials have confirmed.

The two constitution officers have said the case will help election integrity and the “bedrock of democratic governance” and settle the matter.

Strong said Evnen has&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/strong-MTD-evnen-claim.pdf">not requested</a>&nbsp;any relief that would be different than that of Kuehn and said it is unclear whether Evnen has a “personal stake in the outcome” or a “legal or equitable right, title or interest in the subject of the controversy.”

The judge also pointed to a recent Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/13/nebraska-supreme-court-lets-voters-decide-fate-of-school-choice-law/">concurrence</a>&nbsp;from Chief Justice Mike Heavican and Justice Lindsey Miller-Lerman that there is “no process by which the Secretary can change his mind and ‘rescind his legal sufficiency determination.’”

The two other allegations that Strong dismissed were that one of the sponsors, State Sen. Anna Wishart of Lincoln, did not provide her full “street address” when she filed the petition and that the regulatory petition consists of multiple “subjects” in violation of the Nebraska Constitution.

In Wishart’s case, she listed her “street address” but not her city, state or ZIP code, which Kuehn said should invalidate both petitions.

Strong said no other Nebraska case law has defined “street address” as it relates to the petition laws. Citing&nbsp;<a href="http://dictionary.com/" target="_blank">Dictionary.com</a>, she said Wishart would still comply as she listed “the name or number of a building along with the name of the road or street on which it is located.”

However, even if accepting Kuehn’s allegations, Strong wrote, Wishart would still prevail as she is “on record” in taking responsibility for the petition. Her statement was also notarized in Lancaster County where she lives, Strong said.

On the other side, the Nebraska Constitution prohibits state laws and ballot measures from containing more than one “subject” in an effort to prevent “log-rolling” or the swaying of interests.

Both Kuehn and the ballot sponsors point to a 2020 Supreme Court decision that argued the creation of the Nebraska Gaming Commission to regulate for-profit gambling was connected to its greater purpose.

However, Kuehn’s attorneys argue there was no executive branch to take up gambling regulation, unlike the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services or Board of Pharmacy that oversees regulation of all other prescriptions.

Strong said she did not find that argument “persuasive” and said the Medical Cannabis Commission is “naturally and necessarily connected” to the broader initiative’s purpose.

“In liberally construing the initiative to zealously preserve the people’s right to enact laws independently of the Legislature, the Court holds the Regulatory Initiative does not violate the single subject rule,” Strong wrote.

Evnen similarly denied both allegations against the ballot sponsors.

Strong has not scheduled a future hearing for the case but&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/strong-progression-order.pdf">ordered all parties</a>&nbsp;to work together and suggest a timeline for next steps and any related “discovery” by next Wednesday, Oct. 2.

At a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/20/district-court-proceedings-begin-on-nebraska-medical-cannabis-lawsuit/">hearing last week</a>, Strong and multiple attorneys said a preelection resolution would be most favorable so voters know whether their vote will stand up to a potential “infirmity.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727709920072.jpeg" alt="Lancaster County District Judge Susan Strong presides over the first day of hearings in a case related to medical cannabis ballot petitions. Sept. 20, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Lancaster County District Judge Susan Strong presides over the first day of hearings in a case related to medical cannabis ballot petitions. Sept. 20, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Zach Wendling<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/27/district-court-judge-dismisses-some-but-not-all-charges-in-nebraska-medical-cannabis-lawsuit/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — A Lancaster County District Court judge Friday allowed a lawsuit against the state’s active medical cannabis petitions to move forward.Judge Susan Strong, in a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/strong-MTD-kuehn-lawsuit.pdf">14-page ruling</a>, determined that the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/12/lawsuit-seeks-to-invalidate-nebraskas-medical-marijuana-ballot-measures/">lawsuit</a>&nbsp;from John Kuehn, a veterinarian, rancher, former state senator and former member of the Nebraska State Board of Health, should proceed on two counts that&nbsp;relate&nbsp;to voter signatures. The judge dismissed the other complaints on a ballot sponsor statement and the Nebraska Constitution’s “single subject” rule.For the lawsuit to move forward, Kuehn needed to allege “sufficient facts” for relief “that is plausible on its face,” which Strong said she balanced with the public’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/articles.php?article=III-2" target="_blank">right to petition</a>.“We have repeatedly said that the right to initiative is precious to the people and one which the courts are zealous to preserve to the fullest tenable measure of spirit as well as letter,” the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled in a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/13/dueling-abortion-measures-make-ballot-nebraska-supreme-court-decides/#:~:text=By%3A%20Aaron%20Sanderford%20%2D%20September%2013%2C%202024%208%3A18%20am&amp;text=LINCOLN%20%E2%80%94%20The%20Nebraska%20Supreme%20Court,Wade%20was%20overturned%20in%202022.">related lawsuit</a>&nbsp;two weeks ago, which Strong cited Friday.There are two petitions in circulation that would adopt the following state laws, if given voter approval:<ul>
 <li><a href="https://sos.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/doc/elections/Petitions/2024/Nebraska%20Medical%20Cannabis%20Regulation%20Initiative.pdf" target="_blank">Nebraska Medical Cannabis Regulation Act</a>&nbsp;— Define cannabis; legalize possessing, manufacturing, distributing, delivering and dispensing cannabis for medical purposes; and create the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission to oversee the new state law. (Initiative Measure 437).</li><li><a href="https://sos.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/doc/elections/Petitions/2024/Nebraska%20Medical%20Cannabis%20Patient%20Protection%20Initiative.pdf" target="_blank">Nebraska Medical Cannabis Patient Protection Act</a>&nbsp;— Set an allowable amount of medical cannabis at five ounces; exempt patients and caregivers from using or assisting someone else in using the cannabis; and require a written recommendation from a health care practitioner prior to prescription. (Initiative Measure 438).</li>
 </ul><h2>Alleged invalid signatures</h2>Kuehn has alleged there are more than enough improperly counted valid signatures that the two medical cannabis petitions should be withheld from the Nov. 5 ballot. If that is impossible, but there are still enough invalid signatures, Kuehn argued those election results should be void.The campaign needs&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/13/medical-marijuana-legalization-and-regulation-are-certified-for-nebraskas-november-ballot/">86,499 valid signatures</a>&nbsp;on each of its two petitions to regulate and legalize the drug. Secretary of State Bob Evnen, who is also named in the lawsuit,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/13/secretary-of-state-celebrates-local-election-officials-in-finalizing-nebraskas-fall-2024-ballot/">validated nearly 90,000 signatures on both petitions Sept. 13</a>, the final day to do so.That leaves just about 3,000 signatures in wiggle room for the bulk signature requirement.Kuehn has alleged that on at least one petition,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/25/attorneys-weigh-in-on-whether-to-dismiss-nebraska-medical-cannabis-lawsuit/">upward of at least 17,000 signatures</a>&nbsp;were validated but should have been discarded. Those allegations range from signers not being registered voters or Evnen counting duplicative signatures to improper notarizations, circulator payment disclosures or incomplete voter information like date of birth and home address.Strong cites Kuehn’s allegations that at least 2,433 signers were not registered voters, that 48 signers didn’t register to vote until after the petition was due July 3 or that 67 people signed more than once but were counted both times.The ballot sponsors don’t dispute that if some of the “laundry list of reasons” are accurate, some signatures should not have been counted, Strong wrote. But the sponsors also say the main requirement that a signer be registered to vote wouldn’t be enough to invalidate the petitions.<h2>Defining a ‘clerical and technical error’</h2>Strong said&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=32-1409" target="_blank">state law</a>&nbsp;does allow some “clerical and technical errors” to be disregarded if certain other signature-gathering requirements are “substantially followed.” But defining what is a “technical” error will likely be the next step as Strong said it isn’t purely a question of law.“The Court agrees with the Sponsors that not every error or irregularity should invalidate a signature,” Strong wrote.As an example, she said, whether it is a technical error that some signatures&nbsp;don’t include&nbsp;a date when the voter signed&nbsp;but&nbsp;are “sandwiched” between two other signatures with the same date.“Obviously, the language of the Nebraska Constitution and statutes is also relevant to whether a defect is technical or clerical,” Strong wrote. “But the Court declines to resolve this issue at the pleadings stage based only on the Court’s opinion of the relative importance of the statutory requirements allegedly violated.”Strong allowed the case to move forward to determine whether there are enough signatures in a broader review.Crista Eggers, campaign manager for the ballot measures, said in a statement the group is grateful for Strong’s decision to dismiss two complaints and “will continue to exercise all legal options” against the signature-based challenges.“We have complete confidence that our local election officials correctly and accurately validated the petition signatures, and that our campaign met all legal requirements to appear on the ballot,” Eggers said. “We remain focused on making sure all Nebraskans have their voice heard on this issue.”Kuehn’s attorneys had no immediate comment.<h2>Separate complaint from secretary of state</h2>Evnen and Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers specifically asked the court in a separate “cross-claim” to take up the case, particularly after uncovering at least one instance of alleged petition fraud by a paid petition circulator in Grand Island, who was arrested for allegedly forging signatures. Those signatures were never counted, election officials have confirmed.The two constitution officers have said the case will help election integrity and the “bedrock of democratic governance” and settle the matter.Strong said Evnen has&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/strong-MTD-evnen-claim.pdf">not requested</a>&nbsp;any relief that would be different than that of Kuehn and said it is unclear whether Evnen has a “personal stake in the outcome” or a “legal or equitable right, title or interest in the subject of the controversy.”The judge also pointed to a recent Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/13/nebraska-supreme-court-lets-voters-decide-fate-of-school-choice-law/">concurrence</a>&nbsp;from Chief Justice Mike Heavican and Justice Lindsey Miller-Lerman that there is “no process by which the Secretary can change his mind and ‘rescind his legal sufficiency determination.’”<h2>Ballot sponsor complaint</h2>The two other allegations that Strong dismissed were that one of the sponsors, State Sen. Anna Wishart of Lincoln, did not provide her full “street address” when she filed the petition and that the regulatory petition consists of multiple “subjects” in violation of the Nebraska Constitution.In Wishart’s case, she listed her “street address” but not her city, state or ZIP code, which Kuehn said should invalidate both petitions.Strong said no other Nebraska case law has defined “street address” as it relates to the petition laws. Citing&nbsp;<a href="http://dictionary.com/" target="_blank">Dictionary.com</a>, she said Wishart would still comply as she listed “the name or number of a building along with the name of the road or street on which it is located.”However, even if accepting Kuehn’s allegations, Strong wrote, Wishart would still prevail as she is “on record” in taking responsibility for the petition. Her statement was also notarized in Lancaster County where she lives, Strong said.<h2>Single subject requirement</h2>On the other side, the Nebraska Constitution prohibits state laws and ballot measures from containing more than one “subject” in an effort to prevent “log-rolling” or the swaying of interests.Both Kuehn and the ballot sponsors point to a 2020 Supreme Court decision that argued the creation of the Nebraska Gaming Commission to regulate for-profit gambling was connected to its greater purpose.However, Kuehn’s attorneys argue there was no executive branch to take up gambling regulation, unlike the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services or Board of Pharmacy that oversees regulation of all other prescriptions.Strong said she did not find that argument “persuasive” and said the Medical Cannabis Commission is “naturally and necessarily connected” to the broader initiative’s purpose.“In liberally construing the initiative to zealously preserve the people’s right to enact laws independently of the Legislature, the Court holds the Regulatory Initiative does not violate the single subject rule,” Strong wrote.Evnen similarly denied both allegations against the ballot sponsors.Strong has not scheduled a future hearing for the case but&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/strong-progression-order.pdf">ordered all parties</a>&nbsp;to work together and suggest a timeline for next steps and any related “discovery” by next Wednesday, Oct. 2.At a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/20/district-court-proceedings-begin-on-nebraska-medical-cannabis-lawsuit/">hearing last week</a>, Strong and multiple attorneys said a preelection resolution would be most favorable so voters know whether their vote will stand up to a potential “infirmity.”

District court judge dismisses some but not all charges in Nebraska medical cannabis lawsuit

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/gov-pillen-promotes-nebraska-budget-administrator-to-lead-agency-over-state-budget-and-employees/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN —&nbsp;Gov. Jim Pillen promoted three state employees Thursday to oversee the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services and Department of Environment and Energy.

Pillen announced that Lee Will, current state budget administrator, will now oversee the&nbsp;<a href="https://das.nebraska.gov/" target="_blank">Administrative Services Department</a>. The department in part manages the budgets of various state agencies and oversees state employees. Effective Saturday, Will will also serve as chief operating officer for the department.

In Will’s place, Neil Sullivan will step up to fill the role as&nbsp;<a href="https://das.nebraska.gov/budget/" target="_blank">state budget administrator</a>. Will’s salary will be $205,000. Sullivan’s will be $155,000, according to the Governor’s Office.&nbsp;

Pillen also announced Thursday that Kara Valentine will join his&nbsp;<a href="https://governor.nebraska.gov/cabinet" target="_blank">cabinet</a>&nbsp;as the interim director of the&nbsp;<a href="http://dee.ne.gov/" target="_blank">Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy</a>, beginning Monday. Valentine has been a deputy director for the past eight years.

Will has been with Nebraska government since 2015 as a budget management analyst and deputy budget administrator. In 2020, he was appointed state budget administrator.

Pillen in a statement described Will as “an exemplary leader” for the state’s budget processes, “to the benefit of all Nebraskans,” and he said he is excited for what Will brings to his new role. Will has worked closely with Pillen on property tax relief proposals that took various forms over the year and helped to implement “<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/06/consultant-sees-531m-in-trims-to-nebraska-state-budget/">efficiency savings</a>” via an out-of-state analysis.

“Lee has worked closely with state agencies and our legislative partners to provide sound forecasting and budget advice,” Pillen said. “At DAS, he will be able to implement additional spending reductions through direct oversight of the state’s procurement, facilities and vehicle fleet operations.”

Pillen announced earlier this month that Director Jason Jackson, who has led the department since 2018, would&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/04/agency-director-overseeing-nebraska-state-budget-and-state-employees-to-resign-sept-27/">step down from his post</a>&nbsp;effective Friday. Jackson had also served as the state’s chief human resources officer since 2016.

Will is not formally titled the chief HR officer, a spokesperson said, but he will oversee the state’s personnel division.

Sullivan has been with Nebraska government since 2014 and has followed the same path as Will, working as a budget management analyst and then deputy state administrator in 2020. Sullivan previously was business manager at the Grand Island Veterans Home.

Valentine came to Nebraska from Missouri, where she was an environmental attorney with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office and general counsel for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.&nbsp;

She replaces acting director Thad Fineran, who was recently promoted to the rank of brigadier general in the U.S. Army and is leaving Nebraska for an out-of-state post.

Zach Wendling<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/gov-pillen-promotes-nebraska-budget-administrator-to-lead-agency-over-state-budget-and-employees/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN —&nbsp;Gov. Jim Pillen promoted three state employees Thursday to oversee the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services and Department of Environment and Energy.Pillen announced that Lee Will, current state budget administrator, will now oversee the&nbsp;<a href="https://das.nebraska.gov/" target="_blank">Administrative Services Department</a>. The department in part manages the budgets of various state agencies and oversees state employees. Effective Saturday, Will will also serve as chief operating officer for the department.In Will’s place, Neil Sullivan will step up to fill the role as&nbsp;<a href="https://das.nebraska.gov/budget/" target="_blank">state budget administrator</a>. Will’s salary will be $205,000. Sullivan’s will be $155,000, according to the Governor’s Office.&nbsp;Pillen also announced Thursday that Kara Valentine will join his&nbsp;<a href="https://governor.nebraska.gov/cabinet" target="_blank">cabinet</a>&nbsp;as the interim director of the&nbsp;<a href="http://dee.ne.gov/" target="_blank">Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy</a>, beginning Monday. Valentine has been a deputy director for the past eight years.Will has been with Nebraska government since 2015 as a budget management analyst and deputy budget administrator. In 2020, he was appointed state budget administrator.Pillen in a statement described Will as “an exemplary leader” for the state’s budget processes, “to the benefit of all Nebraskans,” and he said he is excited for what Will brings to his new role. Will has worked closely with Pillen on property tax relief proposals that took various forms over the year and helped to implement “<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/06/consultant-sees-531m-in-trims-to-nebraska-state-budget/">efficiency savings</a>” via an out-of-state analysis.“Lee has worked closely with state agencies and our legislative partners to provide sound forecasting and budget advice,” Pillen said. “At DAS, he will be able to implement additional spending reductions through direct oversight of the state’s procurement, facilities and vehicle fleet operations.”Pillen announced earlier this month that Director Jason Jackson, who has led the department since 2018, would&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/04/agency-director-overseeing-nebraska-state-budget-and-state-employees-to-resign-sept-27/">step down from his post</a>&nbsp;effective Friday. Jackson had also served as the state’s chief human resources officer since 2016.Will is not formally titled the chief HR officer, a spokesperson said, but he will oversee the state’s personnel division.Sullivan has been with Nebraska government since 2014 and has followed the same path as Will, working as a budget management analyst and then deputy state administrator in 2020. Sullivan previously was business manager at the Grand Island Veterans Home.Valentine came to Nebraska from Missouri, where she was an environmental attorney with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office and general counsel for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.&nbsp;She replaces acting director Thad Fineran, who was recently promoted to the rank of brigadier general in the U.S. Army and is leaving Nebraska for an out-of-state post.

Gov. Pillen promotes Nebraska budget administrator to lead agency over state budget and employees

OMAHA, NEBRASKA – SEPTEMBER 30, 2024&nbsp;—&nbsp;The American Red Cross has launched a massive relief response following Hurricane Helene, which caused destruction across the Southeast.

The Red Cross has deployed more than 45 emergency response vehicles to get help to where needed and about two dozen more are enroute.&nbsp;Where it is safe to do so,&nbsp;Red Cross disaster responders are aboard these vehicles, traveling throughout affected communities, assessing the damage and distributing meals and relief supplies.&nbsp;

Almost 1,400 disaster workers are helping with more on their way.&nbsp;Included among the volunteers supporting the response are six from Nebraska.

Right now, the Red Cross is working with partners to meet the urgent needs of those affected by providing safe shelter, food, emotional support and health services.

Thousands of people affected by Hurricane Helene need help now. Visit&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rC8E4-2FIqwtiZ3BHZgUNGrdiilJYMWti2EQ2GJkdjyLZ5WlY2E_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEx5eOh2mcWHIGY492PIfsWsyGWhoO2mGEzQUR6nhbB8CykBOZZWoxvATOmu6Yp5P5JygZ21l5ZO1D3dCK48DlCXPoAZTi0TKh7vIWp4k1Isn1FmTC7IGU9PKZ8M-2FSwrn809CEKUjJS0vppA-2FWPvwa99-2BAbcok49du24we27r8LvcUx1nltbbQiWgdZTcTJC2cvewVzfo6zLH0YVAXpAOBrMKtbQG-2BtstVDaNABw6FCHa9M1pjGm5qt-2BFjXOV73ywGVhcmIg0CVTCg36cktu3N44mVsJh-2BFhyOLBD6fyL0MPM-3D">redcross.org</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;call 1-800-RED CROSS (<a target="_blank" href="tel:8007332767">800-733-2767</a>) to make a financial donations. Individuals can also text the word HELENE to 90999 to make a donation. Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster.

Ninety percent of the Red Cross workforce is volunteers. Now more than ever, volunteers are needed. Those interested in making a difference at home or across the country can visit&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rC8E4-2FIqwtiZ3BHZgUNGrdihwIvrg2futoXYPGNSTeagUfbjIak5w4CFicKiqRBPCwMQvKfFcUDiwJw97R9E9NzU-3Dknq4_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEx5eOh2mcWHIGY492PIfsWsyGWhoO2mGEzQUR6nhbB8CykBOZZWoxvATOmu6Yp5P5JygZ21l5ZO1D3dCK48DlCXPoAZTi0TKh7vIWp4k1Isn1FmTC7IGU9PKZ8M-2FSwrn809CEKUjJS0vppA-2FWPvwa91WemE0pH1Ox1w6K9uZCYb9YS7zhPjqa-2FkGumXSjFapfKKMPi0tGem63EVtgBF1m0AHqoJe5a5VdbAwjgCiM4FDYN8B1Vn0c-2FyIYgoJ2uEMYM1LeJuAyKkGieGU0Ushl8awnTJUIiKjwEbk2qINW-2B-2F4-3D">redcross.org/volunteer</a>&nbsp;to learn how to become a volunteer. There are opportunities to help locally or deploy to large disasters in other parts of the country. A variety of positions are available, and the Red Cross will help people find the right opportunity, based on the individual’s skills, interests and availability.

This storm has also canceled blood drives throughout the affected region,&nbsp;causing more than 1,500 blood donations&nbsp;to go uncollected. Those outside the affected areas are encouraged to schedule a blood donation appointment now by visiting&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.zlx6YYN-2BA-2B5Oea7ThzALxelk2MmJeJGpO28Rdb9I5HI15RydSarVhJCEyEyKU3nmqeN8_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEx5eOh2mcWHIGY492PIfsWsyGWhoO2mGEzQUR6nhbB8CykBOZZWoxvATOmu6Yp5P5JygZ21l5ZO1D3dCK48DlCXPoAZTi0TKh7vIWp4k1Isn1FmTC7IGU9PKZ8M-2FSwrn809CEKUjJS0vppA-2FWPvwa95Uj9zLkLmhZ3mBQiqFb3W4PJEXZYSUfbn082zYN6-2FMteIW5WXkyVZPdnVjmdqCXE5m4qyWKkbdVDJlrtdlv0q28OS61WVlLO-2Fc9eahigol8RbsCn6cJEahtN1QSNEW7ZJ-2BU82cTGNnBF07yVtETdBc-3D">RedCrossBlood.org</a>&nbsp;or using the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rC-2BjlOKn5gyoDa2kcQadnKwrYtIDdE1X4v4tF-2Fgo81NPxmSoDF8pHGLefHM0xS0o0OA-3D-3D6TbM_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEx5eOh2mcWHIGY492PIfsWsyGWhoO2mGEzQUR6nhbB8CykBOZZWoxvATOmu6Yp5P5JygZ21l5ZO1D3dCK48DlCXPoAZTi0TKh7vIWp4k1Isn1FmTC7IGU9PKZ8M-2FSwrn809CEKUjJS0vppA-2FWPvwa96ndWwl0Tz6Dot1GeSc6M69hTo-2FgUxKuC2h-2FZb3eNzZiXJF7n-2Bu7-2Fu3PUOJ5i-2BRrN2hDhF8NfvB5o500KgNcZsqOSWDoA9gzTMGmqnyv1GzOlNx65gt4XblP6HMhZGUvnZyRXh2I2zmvEK02RvsFBCE-3D">Blood Donor App</a>&nbsp;to help restock the shelves. Through our national inventory, the Red Cross has the ability to move blood wherever and whenever it is needed most.

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.b00YhNV2Nr0-2BaZn7eVNAdTqaAJlt5LOCznNLmLfPjMA-3DWZes_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEx5eOh2mcWHIGY492PIfsWsyGWhoO2mGEzQUR6nhbB8CykBOZZWoxvATOmu6Yp5P5JygZ21l5ZO1D3dCK48DlCXPoAZTi0TKh7vIWp4k1Isn1FmTC7IGU9PKZ8M-2FSwrn809CEKUjJS0vppA-2FWPvwa9wPZapvF1xPjer22yholVJ8AlZp8Rtq3czE6yQec6-2BgykfddAnyrDA2HxE4vKlF5QZxz9YFFzc8eUr7ZL6OJ1IzWpIgOJCR8I2O454E-2BPm4UGC3NAa2vqaCAlTWQZfN4NpxrAxVxr-2FYDzGYYvXO0t0c-3D">redcross.org</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.b00YhNV2Nr0-2BaZn7eVNAdUZQJeB8xy1xrvGHkLBeWxCtE-2Fkovzq6moaPT7XK4Qc-2FhlrS_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEx5eOh2mcWHIGY492PIfsWsyGWhoO2mGEzQUR6nhbB8CykBOZZWoxvATOmu6Yp5P5JygZ21l5ZO1D3dCK48DlCXPoAZTi0TKh7vIWp4k1Isn1FmTC7IGU9PKZ8M-2FSwrn809CEKUjJS0vppA-2FWPvwa9-2FgYDzD7W0veIPEFy9CFTYDmbeFTT1p0nHj2aOf1Va97DOoFJ4FiebYDOqHjTo2F8xg4VC5VdZWVEGAi3Xjwp8mkJVx-2BPFB7CHTb-2FkmNp5j9XVYKZfGjDdMbQkj-2BsG8v9z1ainacERxZst43AXY-2FN-2FY-3D">CruzRojaAmericana.org</a>, or follow us on social media.

American Red CrossOMAHA, NEBRASKA – SEPTEMBER 30, 2024&nbsp;—&nbsp;The American Red Cross has launched a massive relief response following Hurricane Helene, which caused destruction across the Southeast.The Red Cross has deployed more than 45 emergency response vehicles to get help to where needed and about two dozen more are enroute.&nbsp;Where it is safe to do so,&nbsp;Red Cross disaster responders are aboard these vehicles, traveling throughout affected communities, assessing the damage and distributing meals and relief supplies.&nbsp;Almost 1,400 disaster workers are helping with more on their way.&nbsp;Included among the volunteers supporting the response are six from Nebraska.Right now, the Red Cross is working with partners to meet the urgent needs of those affected by providing safe shelter, food, emotional support and health services.How to HelpThousands of people affected by Hurricane Helene need help now. Visit&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rC8E4-2FIqwtiZ3BHZgUNGrdiilJYMWti2EQ2GJkdjyLZ5WlY2E_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEx5eOh2mcWHIGY492PIfsWsyGWhoO2mGEzQUR6nhbB8CykBOZZWoxvATOmu6Yp5P5JygZ21l5ZO1D3dCK48DlCXPoAZTi0TKh7vIWp4k1Isn1FmTC7IGU9PKZ8M-2FSwrn809CEKUjJS0vppA-2FWPvwa99-2BAbcok49du24we27r8LvcUx1nltbbQiWgdZTcTJC2cvewVzfo6zLH0YVAXpAOBrMKtbQG-2BtstVDaNABw6FCHa9M1pjGm5qt-2BFjXOV73ywGVhcmIg0CVTCg36cktu3N44mVsJh-2BFhyOLBD6fyL0MPM-3D">redcross.org</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;call 1-800-RED CROSS (<a target="_blank" href="tel:8007332767">800-733-2767</a>) to make a financial donations. Individuals can also text the word HELENE to 90999 to make a donation. Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster.Ninety percent of the Red Cross workforce is volunteers. Now more than ever, volunteers are needed. Those interested in making a difference at home or across the country can visit&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rC8E4-2FIqwtiZ3BHZgUNGrdihwIvrg2futoXYPGNSTeagUfbjIak5w4CFicKiqRBPCwMQvKfFcUDiwJw97R9E9NzU-3Dknq4_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEx5eOh2mcWHIGY492PIfsWsyGWhoO2mGEzQUR6nhbB8CykBOZZWoxvATOmu6Yp5P5JygZ21l5ZO1D3dCK48DlCXPoAZTi0TKh7vIWp4k1Isn1FmTC7IGU9PKZ8M-2FSwrn809CEKUjJS0vppA-2FWPvwa91WemE0pH1Ox1w6K9uZCYb9YS7zhPjqa-2FkGumXSjFapfKKMPi0tGem63EVtgBF1m0AHqoJe5a5VdbAwjgCiM4FDYN8B1Vn0c-2FyIYgoJ2uEMYM1LeJuAyKkGieGU0Ushl8awnTJUIiKjwEbk2qINW-2B-2F4-3D">redcross.org/volunteer</a>&nbsp;to learn how to become a volunteer. There are opportunities to help locally or deploy to large disasters in other parts of the country. A variety of positions are available, and the Red Cross will help people find the right opportunity, based on the individual’s skills, interests and availability.This storm has also canceled blood drives throughout the affected region,&nbsp;causing more than 1,500 blood donations&nbsp;to go uncollected. Those outside the affected areas are encouraged to schedule a blood donation appointment now by visiting&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.zlx6YYN-2BA-2B5Oea7ThzALxelk2MmJeJGpO28Rdb9I5HI15RydSarVhJCEyEyKU3nmqeN8_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEx5eOh2mcWHIGY492PIfsWsyGWhoO2mGEzQUR6nhbB8CykBOZZWoxvATOmu6Yp5P5JygZ21l5ZO1D3dCK48DlCXPoAZTi0TKh7vIWp4k1Isn1FmTC7IGU9PKZ8M-2FSwrn809CEKUjJS0vppA-2FWPvwa95Uj9zLkLmhZ3mBQiqFb3W4PJEXZYSUfbn082zYN6-2FMteIW5WXkyVZPdnVjmdqCXE5m4qyWKkbdVDJlrtdlv0q28OS61WVlLO-2Fc9eahigol8RbsCn6cJEahtN1QSNEW7ZJ-2BU82cTGNnBF07yVtETdBc-3D">RedCrossBlood.org</a>&nbsp;or using the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rC-2BjlOKn5gyoDa2kcQadnKwrYtIDdE1X4v4tF-2Fgo81NPxmSoDF8pHGLefHM0xS0o0OA-3D-3D6TbM_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEx5eOh2mcWHIGY492PIfsWsyGWhoO2mGEzQUR6nhbB8CykBOZZWoxvATOmu6Yp5P5JygZ21l5ZO1D3dCK48DlCXPoAZTi0TKh7vIWp4k1Isn1FmTC7IGU9PKZ8M-2FSwrn809CEKUjJS0vppA-2FWPvwa96ndWwl0Tz6Dot1GeSc6M69hTo-2FgUxKuC2h-2FZb3eNzZiXJF7n-2Bu7-2Fu3PUOJ5i-2BRrN2hDhF8NfvB5o500KgNcZsqOSWDoA9gzTMGmqnyv1GzOlNx65gt4XblP6HMhZGUvnZyRXh2I2zmvEK02RvsFBCE-3D">Blood Donor App</a>&nbsp;to help restock the shelves. Through our national inventory, the Red Cross has the ability to move blood wherever and whenever it is needed most.About the American Red Cross:The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.b00YhNV2Nr0-2BaZn7eVNAdTqaAJlt5LOCznNLmLfPjMA-3DWZes_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEx5eOh2mcWHIGY492PIfsWsyGWhoO2mGEzQUR6nhbB8CykBOZZWoxvATOmu6Yp5P5JygZ21l5ZO1D3dCK48DlCXPoAZTi0TKh7vIWp4k1Isn1FmTC7IGU9PKZ8M-2FSwrn809CEKUjJS0vppA-2FWPvwa9wPZapvF1xPjer22yholVJ8AlZp8Rtq3czE6yQec6-2BgykfddAnyrDA2HxE4vKlF5QZxz9YFFzc8eUr7ZL6OJ1IzWpIgOJCR8I2O454E-2BPm4UGC3NAa2vqaCAlTWQZfN4NpxrAxVxr-2FYDzGYYvXO0t0c-3D">redcross.org</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.b00YhNV2Nr0-2BaZn7eVNAdUZQJeB8xy1xrvGHkLBeWxCtE-2Fkovzq6moaPT7XK4Qc-2FhlrS_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEx5eOh2mcWHIGY492PIfsWsyGWhoO2mGEzQUR6nhbB8CykBOZZWoxvATOmu6Yp5P5JygZ21l5ZO1D3dCK48DlCXPoAZTi0TKh7vIWp4k1Isn1FmTC7IGU9PKZ8M-2FSwrn809CEKUjJS0vppA-2FWPvwa9-2FgYDzD7W0veIPEFy9CFTYDmbeFTT1p0nHj2aOf1Va97DOoFJ4FiebYDOqHjTo2F8xg4VC5VdZWVEGAi3Xjwp8mkJVx-2BPFB7CHTb-2FkmNp5j9XVYKZfGjDdMbQkj-2BsG8v9z1ainacERxZst43AXY-2FN-2FY-3D">CruzRojaAmericana.org</a>, or follow us on social media.

Nebraska Volunteers Supporting Red Cross Disaster Response to Hurricane Helene

‘Farmers will have a tighter situation … than they experienced in the last three years,’ says a University of Missouri researcher

By ALLISON KITE <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

The cost of fertilizer is up; crop prices are down. Farmers have struggled through drought, and ranchers sold off huge swaths of their herd.&nbsp;

To top it all off, Congress has yet to pass a new iteration of the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/tag/farm-bill/">Farm Bill</a>, which expires in a matter of days. And it likely won’t take action on the wide-ranging legislation, which offers everything from nutritional assistance to farm disaster recovery aid, until late this year.

The slow action on the legislation isn’t unusual, but as farm income continues to slide, producers are struggling to make ends meet. Tim Gibbons, communications director for the Missouri Rural Crisis Center, noted it currently costs more to raise a bushel of corn than farmers make when they sell it.

The prices farmers receive for major grain crops such as corn and soybeans are down 20 to 40% from highs set in 2022 in the months after Russia invaded Ukraine, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. But that spike was an aberration, Gibbons said.

“We haven’t had really high prices for decades … that really support farmers over the long term,” Gibbons said, “so that not only can they stay on the farm, but pass that farm on to the next generations.”&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727697603384.png" alt=" Corn sprouts in long rows in Wichita County, Kansas. With farm incomes on the decline, agricultural groups say a new federal Farm Bill is a must. (Allison Kite/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Corn sprouts in long rows in Wichita County, Kansas. With farm incomes on the decline, agricultural groups say a new federal Farm Bill is a must. (Allison Kite/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>‘Farmers will have a tighter situation … than they experienced in the last three years,’ says a University of Missouri researcher</h2>By ALLISON KITE <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>The cost of fertilizer is up; crop prices are down. Farmers have struggled through drought, and ranchers sold off huge swaths of their herd.&nbsp;To top it all off, Congress has yet to pass a new iteration of the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/tag/farm-bill/">Farm Bill</a>, which expires in a matter of days. And it likely won’t take action on the wide-ranging legislation, which offers everything from nutritional assistance to farm disaster recovery aid, until late this year.The slow action on the legislation isn’t unusual, but as farm income continues to slide, producers are struggling to make ends meet. Tim Gibbons, communications director for the Missouri Rural Crisis Center, noted it currently costs more to raise a bushel of corn than farmers make when they sell it.The prices farmers receive for major grain crops such as corn and soybeans are down 20 to 40% from highs set in 2022 in the months after Russia invaded Ukraine, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. But that spike was an aberration, Gibbons said.“We haven’t had really high prices for decades … that really support farmers over the long term,” Gibbons said, “so that not only can they stay on the farm, but pass that farm on to the next generations.”&nbsp;<a href="https://fapri.missouri.edu/publications/2024-farm-income-update/?utm_campaign=577762_FAPRI%20Farm%20Income%20Report%20%28September%29&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Child%20account%20for%20The%20Curators%20of%20the%20University%20of%20Missouri&amp;dm_i=7JGU,CDSY,4NFRO6,1V77U,1" target="_blank">Researchers at the University of Missouri</a>&nbsp;expect farm income to drop by 35% by next year, compared to a high in 2022. While they still expect income to remain above what farmers saw between 2015 and 2020, it’s a steep drop.&nbsp;“Farmers will have a tighter situation … than they experienced in the last three years, and they’ll have to be much more cognizant about having a very strategic marketing plan in order to make a good cash flow,” said Bob&nbsp;Maltsburger, a senior research economist at the Food &amp; Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the university.&nbsp;The “bleak” state of the farm economy — as U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican, put it —&nbsp;has agricultural groups and heartland lawmakers clamoring for an updated Farm Bill. But partisan gridlock in Washington, D.C., and tension over what programs to prioritize in the enormous bill have made it difficult for lawmakers to find common ground.&nbsp;“We need a Farm Bill in place,”&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/u-s-sen-jerry-moran-begs-colleagues-to-break-political-gridlock-on-farm-bill-legislation/?emci=071765d8-f87a-ef11-991a-6045bdee6681&amp;emdi=8993ee86-1c7b-ef11-991a-6045bdee6681&amp;ceid=116650" target="_blank">Moran said on the Senate floor earlier this month</a>, “even if it’s the current one, but the current one is insufficient to meet the needs of the disaster that is occurring in the incomes of farmers across the country.”The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usda.gov/farmbill" target="_blank">Farm Bill</a>, the primary vehicle for food and agriculture policy in the U.S., expires Monday. While some of its banner programs — including crop insurance and nutrition assistance — will continue even if the legislation lapses, lawmakers and farm groups have said it’s essential to get assistance to struggling farmers. Moran urged colleagues to extend the existing Farm Bill while a more thorough rewrite is still pending.<h2>Competing for funds</h2>The Farm Bill’s single largest chunk of spending — about 75% — supports a variety of programs to combat food insecurity, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, commonly known as “food stamps.” Its other banner programs include crop insurance and support for farmers when crop prices are low. The legislation also provides funds to encourage conservation and more sustainable farming.&nbsp;Prominent in this year’s debate is how to permanently increase spending on&nbsp;<a href="https://marylandmatters.org/2022/11/08/climate-funding-could-suffer-in-the-farm-bill-under-gop-control-of-congress/" target="_blank">conservation and climate-friendly practices</a>. Congress previously provided $20 billion through the Inflation Reduction Act, passed in 2023, to help farmers plant cover crops and trees; alternate grazing and resting grassland and restore wetlands.&nbsp;Andrew Lentz, who leads agriculture policy for the Environmental Defense Fund, said that funding helped more farmers participate in historically underfunded conservation programs. He said his organization hopes Congress takes advantage of the “huge opportunity” to make those funding levels permanent.&nbsp;While Democrats want to ensure those funds are spent on practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, those requirements weren’t supported in the Republican-controlled U.S. House committee.&nbsp;“If Congress is able to do that,” Lentz said, “they’ll be able to maintain these elevated funding levels and also maintain the climate focus of those funds in order to address the root causes of climate change and…help farmers tap new markets for lower carbon agricultural goods.”&nbsp;But Jennifer Ifft, an associate professor at Kansas State University, said Congress can’t increase the federal deficit when it passes a new Farm Bill, creating tension between lawmakers over how to prioritize programs. Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives supported increasing funding for the farm safety net, which supports farmers when crop prices are low.That’s hard enough to do this year, Ifft said, but it will be even more difficult to pull off next year with crop prices projected to keep declining, increasing the cost of the safety net.“It’s probably not going to get easier to compromise,” Ifft said.The House Republican version of the bill also cuts $30 billion from nutrition assistance, a nonstarter with Democrats.&nbsp;U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat and chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, called that bill and Senate Republicans’ “framework” for a Farm Bill “flawed,” noting it cuts the nutrition budget and “walks away from the progress we have made to address the climate crisis.”Gibbons said the conversation is missing better options to help with crop prices. He argues managing supply and adjusting decisions to meet market needs is a lower-cost alternative to ensure farmers get a fair price for their crops. But that’s not part of the policy discussions, he said.&nbsp;“The fight,” Gibbons said, “is once again over, ‘How hard are we going to make it for hungry people in need to get food,’”