Gov. Pillen Commends Senators’ Good Faith Work to Fix Nebraska’s Escalating Property Taxes; Condemns Political Intransigence

LINCOLN, NE – Today, Governor Jim Pillen issued the following statement regarding the state of the special session convened to fix Nebraska’s spiraling property tax crisis:

“I deeply appreciate the extremely hard work being done by the majority of the Legislature to deliver transformative property tax reform to Nebraskans. These senators, who represent all political stripes and all corners of our state, are doing right by their constituents by engaging in tough negotiations, good faith exchanges of ideas, and collaboration with their colleagues to forge a compromise that will work for Nebraska. Their dedication is even more impressive given that it is moving forward under intense pressure by lobbyists fighting to protect special interest loopholes at the expense of hardworking Nebraska homeowners. I know that any plan passed by the Legislature will be a hard-fought compromise and that it will not include every provision I believe in and am fighting for. Nevertheless, I have profound respect for the work of the Legislature and look forward to signing that work into law.

A small minority of senators, however, are failing their duty to the people of Nebraska. Several have well-known track records of extreme filibusters to block the work of the people. Others have lowered themselves to baseless personal attacks both on the floor of the legislative chamber and through social media in pursuit of festering political grievances. I call upon them to end their obstructionist rhetoric, stop their time-wasting tactics, and engage with their colleagues to craft a bipartisan, consensus solution.

The people of Nebraska are watching carefully and will hold accountable those elected leaders who fail to act to fix this crisis. An overwhelming majority of Nebraskans support cutting property taxes, capping government spending, and closing special interest loopholes. Doing nothing is not an acceptable option for Nebraskans.”