You Can In Nebraska

I've lived in Nebraska my entire life, and I really believe our state can be the best place in the world to live, work, and raise a family.

Certainly, there are some who look down on Nebraska (maybe literally from a window seat) and we might be lucky those people pass us by!

But a lot of people just don't know anything about us, or what we have to offer. We all know taxes aren't a strength of ours, but even under the best circumstances, we won't be a low-tax state any time soon.

That's why we've got to stop putting up barriers to opportunity and creating more hidden taxes on hardworking people, which include excessive job licensing and red tape regulations.

When we're known for what can't be done, or when we diminish people's enthusiasm for what can be accomplished here, we're basically saying to the world that newcomers and innovators aren't wanted in Nebraska. Sometimes we even send that message to the people who are here right now.

As I told you at the outset of the legislative session, we have to act quickly between now and April to cut red tape where we can.

By the end of this week, all of the bills up for consideration in 2018 will be known, but already there are several good pieces of legislation that can send a strong message, that in Nebraska, you can achieve your goals:

With Sen. Carol Blood's LB687, if you're an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse licensed from another state, you can have easy portability of your license to Nebraska

Sen. John Murante's LB948 would help curb the growth of the more than 100,000 regulatory restrictions contained in our state's code, which can right-size the burden on every field, from agriculture, to health care, to manufacturing.

Sen. Sara Howard's LB834 would end the practice of charging low-income Nebraskans, military families, and our young people heavy fees for applying for their first job license. That means in Nebraska they can work and keep more of their money.

With Sen. Sue Crawford's LB764, if you're trying to get a food preparing business off the ground in your community, you can get started in your own kitchen until you sell up to $25,000 in food a year.

Sen. Adam Morfeld's LB756 will protect Nebraska homeowners from being banned by their city from making extra income by inviting travelers to stay at their home.

And LB790 and LB958, from Sen. Laura Ebke and Sen. Steve Erdman respectively, would allow licensed cosmetologists, nail techs, and massage therapists to operate their businesses out of mobile establishments, so they can make their services more available in rural areas, and for elderly and disabled clients.

These are just a handful of the good ideas that can help more Nebraskans live their Good Life, and we look forward to supporting them throughout the 2018 session.

Jim Vokal is the Director for the Platte Institute For Economic Research. Its mission is to advance policies that remove barriers to growth and opportunity in Nebraska.