- Associated Press - Monday, November 14, 2016

Omaha World-Herald. November 9, 2016

State applies business sense to governing..

Politicians often pledge during their campaigns to bring a business approach to government. Now, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and his team are following through.

Ricketts recently announced several specific steps his administration has taken that should boost the state’s ability to serve Nebraskans more efficiently.

Among them, using business accounting and management methods to reduce wasteful spending and improve service delivery.

“I’m excited about the progress we’ve made already because I want the state of Nebraska to be known as an operationally excellent organization,” Ricketts said.

Already, this has led to faster processing times for some professional license applications and environmental permits. Several contracting changes have saved $10.2 million this year, the state says.

Every state employee, 14,000 of them, is being trained on improving processes, learning about the costs of overproduction and underutilization of talent - and how to recognize waste. Some 5,300 have already been trained.

A smaller group of employees is receiving additional training on how to steer agencies toward improvement.

This is tangible progress toward a campaign pledge. More importantly, it’s good news for state taxpayers, who frequently complain that too few government employees treat tax dollars like the public’s money.

Most folks understand that roads, schools, law enforcement, courts, prisons and child welfare programs aren’t free. But they want to know that government is spending their money wisely and efficiently.

That’s why Ricketts and his team created the Center for Operational Excellence within the Department of Administrative Services.

They started by focusing on agencies the governor controls, including Health and Human Services, the Department of Environmental Quality, the Department of Roads and the Department of Correctional Services.

HHS sped up the license-application process for health care workers - nurses, medication aides, mental health practitioners and social workers. Applications for medication aides, for example, are processed now in as little as nine days, down from 39.

At DEQ, employees have cut the time needed for construction permits within the air quality program. Changes so far have cut the processing time from 190 to 183 days. The eventual goal is 65 days.

Efficiencies are sure to be found in the Roads and Corrections Departments, as well, where reviews are just getting started.

The search for government efficiencies should never end. But it’s good to know the hunt is on.

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Kearney Hub. November 10, 2016

NPPD has survival tips when power goes kaput.

Today is Nebraska’s Winter Storm Awareness Day, and Nebraska Public Power District is using the day as an opportunity to alert the state’s residents about electrical safety during harsh winter conditions. As every Nebraskan knows, high winds, freezing drizzle or accumulating snow can wreak havoc on powerlines.

If lines are down, there’s a great threat of danger, and Nebraskans need to play it safe. Power lines should be considered “live,” which means they hold the potential of electrocution. Don’t even go close to a downed line, says NPPD Director of Safety and Human Performance Chris Overman.

He advises to call the local utility and wait until professionally trained crews are able to remove the line.

Also, when a power pole falls or the conductor comes loose, stay away from it.

While line workers are always focused on safety, being prepared for potential power outages should be on the minds of Nebraskans statewide, Overman said. “Most Nebraskans understand the potential damage winter storms can cause, not to mention the possibility of power outages. But if the power goes out, we want our customers, friends and neighbors to take precautions and be prepared.”

Homeowners should prepare for winter by assembling a number of items to tide them over during an outage. A flashlight, extra batteries, a portable radio, at least one gallon of water, and a small supply of food are essential, especially if the electricity is off for an extended length of time.

Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed to keep food cold. Don’t fire up the charcoal or gas grill indoors or in the garage. It’s tempting fate for a house fire. NPPD reminds Nebraskans with portable generators to never run them indoors or inside a garage. Also, licensed electricians should properly install generators.

Overman said if your power goes out, a good practice is to disconnect major electrical equipment and appliances to provide an added margin of protection in case of unexpected power surges when service is restored.

“You may also consider leaving one light connected and turned on so you will know when power is restored,” Overman added.

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Lincoln Journal Star. November 11, 2016

A message that deserves big audience.

Lancaster County residents gave local officials an earful earlier this month on the county’s one- and six-year road and bridge improvement plan.

They are justifiably upset that roads are being closed right and left because old bridges have deteriorated to the point they are unsafe.

Let’s hope that the message they delivered goes beyond the County-City Building. It needs to be heard in the Statehouse, in the headquarters of the Nebraska Republican Party and in Washington.

The closure of bridges is forcing farm equipment onto busy roads where it doesn’t belong. “We took combines down to Eagle today, and we’re having to go on Highway 6 because 162nd is closed,” farmer Paula Petersen told the County Board. “I don’t feel comfortable with that. I think we’re causing safety hazards.”

Petersen was among the largest crowd for a road plan hearing that County Commissioner Larry Hudkins said he had seen in 30 years.

The predicament in which the County Board finds itself in is that it has few options for boosting the road and bridge budget other than raising the property tax rate. And that’s the most unpopular tax of all, based on public hearings and what candidates say they hear when they go door to door.

For decades America had a good system for building and maintaining roads and bridges. The expenses were paid primarily by the gas tax, which essentially is a user fee.

But Congress hasn’t raised the gas tax since 1993.

In effect, motorists have been given a huge gas tax cut. The federal gas tax was 18.4 cents a gallon in 1993. If the gas tax had kept pace with inflation, it would be 30.7 cents today.

In addition, cars have become more fuel efficient. In 1993 the average passenger car got 28.4 miles per gallon. In 2014 the average was up to 36.4 miles a gallon, according to federal officials. In other words, drivers were able to drive more than 25 percent more miles without paying any more tax. Essentially that’s another tax cut.

The State Legislature took the sensible step in 2015 of raising the gas tax. And then the Nebraska Republican Party turned around and attacked them for it this election.

Opposition to raising the gas tax is written right into the state Republican Party platform. Based on what the party did this election - targeting senators for voting for the gas tax hike, it wants to roll back the gas tax rate to pre-2015.

Party operatives and elected officials at the state and federal level need to listen to what’s happening at the grassroots level. The local infrastructure is crumbling. The gas tax is one of the smartest tools for fixing the problem. It puts the tax burden where it ought to be - not on the backs of property tax payers.

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McCook Daily Gazette. November 10, 2016.

Voters spoke forcefully on death penalty.

The voters have spoken.

They wanted the death penalty back, and they were willing to go over the heads of the Legislature to do so.

Perhaps turnabout’s fair play, since the Legislature went over the head of a veto by Gov. Pete Ricketts to abolish capital punishment in the state.

Nearly 60 percent voted to repeal LB 286, compared to just over 40 percent to retain the law ending the death penalty.

There was some resentment over the governor using his financial resources to reinstate the death penalty, contributing $300,000 to the Nebraskans for the Death Penalty campaign, which raised some $1.3 million for its efforts.

It was outspent by an opposition group, however, which received nearly $2.7 million to make its point to Nebraska voters.

Death penalty opponents see capital punishment as a broken system in Nebraska, where the last execution was carried out by electric chair in 1997.

We switched to a three-drug execution cocktail, but it’s never been used. We paid $54,400 for a couple of the required drugs, but they were never received because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned their import.

Opponents feel the state isn’t competent to administer the death penalty fairly, and the system truly is broken.

The argument that law enforcement still needs the ultimate penalty as bargaining in murder trails carried the day. The arguments that it could deter violence by inmates already serving life terms and helps provide a degree of safety for officers also carried some weight.

We received feedback from more than one reader that an article by the Nebraska News Service, listing each death row inmate in the state and the reasons they were sentenced, persuaded them to vote to repeal the law that eliminated the death penalty.

The Nebraska News Service is staffed by student reporters at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, who provide an alternative source of news about Nebraska government.

We’ve used many of their stories for new perspectives on state news, and they can be proud that they are providing an important service to Nebraska voters.

If and when executions resume in the Cornhusker state, it will be because its citizens want them to.

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