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;

<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.

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,’”

<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,’”

Farmers struggle with ‘bleak’ situation as Congress waffles on new Farm Bill

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>

WASHINGTON — With the clock ticking on former President Donald Trump’s signature 2017 tax law, and high housing, food and child care costs darkening Americans’ mood, tax cuts have become the star of the 2024 presidential contest between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Trump wants to overall extend his tax provisions beyond the 2025 expiration date and then some, promising to lower the corporate tax rate even further and lift the cap on the state and local taxes deduction.

He argues the loss in federal revenue will be made up by imposing steep tariffs on imported goods.

Tariff is a “beautiful word,” he told a crowd in Savannah, Georgia, Tuesday night, “one of the most beautiful words I’ve ever heard.”

“We will take in hundreds of billions of dollars into our treasury and use that money to benefit the American citizens,” he said.

Harris is running on an “opportunity economy” platform that keeps the Biden administration’s promises to not raise taxes on those making less than $400,000 and enact a “billionaire” tax.

The vice president has also vowed to give tax deductions and credits to budding entrepreneurs and first-time homebuyers, and permanently expand the Child Tax Credit.

“Under my plan, more than 100 million Americans will get a middle-class tax break that includes $6,000 for new parents during the first year of their child’s life,” Harris said Wednesday at a campaign speech in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Whoever wins the Oval Office&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/racing-toward-election-day-control-us-senate-and-house-grabs%C2%A0" target="_blank">will need</a>&nbsp;a cooperative Congress to enact these policies — with the exception of tariffs, over which the president enjoys wide&nbsp;<a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11030" target="_blank">latitude</a>.

The barrage of proposals has kept economists busy with near-constant and evolving&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/issue-area/us-budget-watch-2024" target="_blank">analyses</a>&nbsp;of how much the&nbsp;<a href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2024/8/26/harris-campaign-policy-proposals-2024?te=1&amp;nl=the-morning&amp;emc=edit_nn_20240903" target="_blank">tax</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2024/8/26/trump-campaign-policy-proposals-2024?te=1&amp;nl=the-morning&amp;emc=edit_nn_20240903" target="_blank">cut</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://taxfoundation.org/research/federal-tax/2024-tax-plans/?utm_content=308246052&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;hss_channel=tw-16686673" target="_blank">promises</a>&nbsp;would add to the nation’s ballooning federal deficit and change the economy.

Both candidates’ plans come with a price tag in the trillions of dollars, though Trump’s is the more expensive of the two.

Models released in late August by the Penn Wharton Budget Model project Trump’s plan&nbsp;<a href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2024/8/26/trump-campaign-policy-proposals-2024?te=1&amp;nl=the-morning&amp;emc=edit_nn_20240903" target="_blank">would add</a>&nbsp;up to $5.8 trillion to the deficit over 10 years, while Harris’ plan would&nbsp;<a href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2024/8/26/harris-campaign-policy-proposals-2024?te=1&amp;nl=the-morning&amp;emc=edit_nn_20240903" target="_blank">increase</a>&nbsp;the deficit by up to $2 trillion over the same time period.

“I think that both candidates are missing the mark when it comes to fiscal responsibility and economic responsibility,” the Tax Foundation’s Erica York told States Newsroom in an interview Monday.

“Neither of them have really outlined a plan that would get us on a sustainable path in terms of debt and deficits, nor that would boost growth and opportunity in the economy. Both are likely to have a negative impact on the economy,” said York, senior economist and research director for the foundation, which generally favors lower taxes.

Trump, followed by Harris, has proposed to nix taxes on tipped workers — though Harris has suggested limiting the benefit to workers in the service and hospitality industries who earn less than $75,000.

She has also said the tax break would not apply to payroll taxes, meaning the contribution workers pay toward Social Security and Medicare. Trump has not detailed any limits on his proposal for tipped workers.

Economists across the board&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-floats-plan-end-taxes-tips-though-experts-raise-doubts" target="_blank">warn</a>&nbsp;Trump’s plan could incentivize more tipped work. They also question whether Trump and Harris’ proposals would actually benefit low-income workers.

After all, tax benefits for lower income workers who have children phase in as the person earns income. Reporting less income means those taxpayers could ultimately see less help from the Child Tax Credit or the Earned Income Tax Credit.

“If you work and you report income, you get these provisions. But if you don’t, you don’t get these provisions. Well, you add exemptions into the tax code that reduces the amount of earned income that you report to the IRS, you could potentially reduce the value of these credits for very low-income households,” Kyle Pomerleau, senior fellow at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute, told States Newsroom in an interview Monday.

For instance, a tipped worker who has one child and earns $24,000 annually, half of which comes from tips, could see a $300 decrease in refundable tax credits under this policy, Pomerleau and senior AEI fellows Alex Brill and Stan Veuger&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aei.org/economics/a-tip-exemption-is-not-sound-tax-policy/" target="_blank">wrote</a>&nbsp;in August.

The same principle for lower income taxpayers applies to Trump’s recent promise to eliminate taxes on overtime.

“There could be a negative effect there, depending on how this is structured,” Pomerleau said Monday.

The nonpartisan watchdog Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/donald-trumps-proposal-end-taxes-overtime" target="_blank">estimates</a>&nbsp;an elimination of taxes on all overtime would cost the country $1.7 trillion in lost revenue over 10 years. With no guardrails preventing workers switching from salaried to hourly, the price tag could reach up to $6 trillion in the most extreme case, CRFB estimates.

Economists monitoring the nation’s Social Security coffers continue to sound alarm bells on the program’s solvency — with little reaction on the campaign trail.

The fund that provides money to senior citizens and people with disabilities is on track to be depleted by 2035, and recipients would face an immediate 17% cut in benefits, as the Tax Foundation’s Alex Durante&nbsp;<a href="https://taxfoundation.org/research/all/federal/social-security-reform-options/?utm_content=309361439&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;hss_channel=tw-16686673" target="_blank">wrote</a>&nbsp;Tuesday.

Trump has mentioned Social Security during campaign rallies and on his social media platform, but in the context of eliminating taxes on the benefit payments.

While low-income recipients do not pay taxes on their benefits, others do and are projected to contribute $94 billion this year back into the fund.

Nixing those taxes could speed up Social Security’s insolvency by one year,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/donald-trumps-suggestion-end-taxation-social-security-benefits" target="_blank">according</a>&nbsp;to an analysis by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

Promise: New corporate tax rates and tariffs

Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which cleared Congress strictly along party lines, permanently lowered the top corporate tax rate to 21% from 35%.

Harris has vowed, if elected, she will bump the rate up to 28%.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/kamala-harris-proposal-raise-corporate-tax-rate-28" target="_blank">Analyses</a>&nbsp;from the CFRB, the Tax Foundation, Penn Wharton and the Yale Budget Lab estimate the increase would raise roughly $1 trillion to $1.2 trillion in federal revenue over the next decade.

The former president wants to&nbsp;<a href="https://newjerseymonitor.com/2024/09/05/trump-promotes-raising-tariffs-corporate-tax-cut-in-battle-over-economy-with-harris/" target="_blank">cut</a>&nbsp;the rate even further to 15%, a&nbsp;<a href="https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/federal/historical-corporate-tax-rates-brackets/" target="_blank">level</a>&nbsp;not seen in the U.S. since the 1930s. Economists&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/donald-trumps-proposal-lower-corporate-tax-rate-15" target="_blank">estimate</a>&nbsp;the cut would reduce revenue anywhere from $460 billion to $673 billion over 10 years.

“Here is the deal that I will be offering to every major company and manufacturer on Earth: I will give you the lowest taxes, the lowest energy costs, the lowest regulatory burden and free access to the best and biggest market on the planet, but only if you make your product here in America,” Trump said in Georgia Tuesday.

Trump has big plans for products imported into the U.S. He’s planning to impose up to 20% tariffs on most imports, reaching as high as 60% on Chinese goods and 100% on countries that turn away from the U.S. dollar.

That could cost the typical American household about $2,600 a year as costs on consumer goods would shift to the customer, particularly affecting those with lower incomes,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.piie.com/research/piie-charts/2024/trumps-bigger-tariff-proposals-would-cost-typical-american-household-over?te=1&amp;nl=the-morning&amp;emc=edit_nn_20240903" target="_blank">according</a>&nbsp;to economists Kimberly Clausing and Mary Lovely at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Speaking at a farming roundtable in Pennsylvania Monday, Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?538599-1/president-trump-speaks-farming-roundtable-smithton-pennsylvania" target="_blank">publicly warned</a>&nbsp;John Deere that if the company moves manufacturing to Mexico, he’ll impose a 200% tariff on tractors coming back over the border.

Experts warn another downside is that the policy invites foreign retaliation.

“So if we are, say, exporting Kentucky bourbon to China, China may say, well, to retaliate for the 60% tax on imports, we’re going to place taxes on this export, and that’s going to have a direct impact on the incomes of Americans and make us poorer,” Pomerleau said.

A familiar refrain from Harris and the Biden administration is that billionaires and wealthy corporations should pay their “fair share.”

The U.S. individual tax rate already progresses with an earner’s income, meaning that the higher your income, the higher your tax rate.

Both Harris and Trump want to keep individual tax rates that were lowered across the board in the 2017 law, but Harris is seeking to increase taxes on long-term capital gains, and levy a minimum tax on unrealized capital gains for very high earners.

For those earning upwards of $1 million a year, Harris&nbsp;<a href="https://newjerseymonitor.com/2024/09/05/trump-promotes-raising-tariffs-corporate-tax-cut-in-battle-over-economy-with-harris/" target="_blank">proposed</a>&nbsp;raising taxes to 28%, up from 20%, on profits made from the sale of an asset, like stocks, bonds, or real estate, that have been held by the owner for more than a year.

The vice president also proposes quadrupling the&nbsp;<a href="https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/how-the-u-s-taxes-stock-buybacks-and-dividends/" target="_blank">stock buyback tax</a>&nbsp;to 4%, up from 1%.

For ultra-wealthy households that have more than $100 million in assets, Harris follows Biden in proposing a 25% tax rate — sometimes referred to as the “billionaire tax.”

Those high-wealth individuals would need to calculate their regular income tax liability and compare it to their total net worth, meaning income plus unrealized capital gains, multiplied by 25%.

“Whichever is greater you pay,” Pomerleau explains. “So if you are in a situation where you have a low effective tax rate relative to this broader definition of income, the minimum tax will kick in and you’ll start paying increments.”

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/kamala-harris-plan-taxing-capital-income" target="_blank">estimates</a>&nbsp;the plan could raise $750 billion in revenue over ten years.

Ahead of a mid-September campaign rally on Long Island, New York, Trump pledged to abandon the cap in his 2017 law on the state and local tax deduction — simply known in tax parlance as SALT.

As the law stands now, taxpayers can only deduct up to $10,000 of their state and local tax bill from their federal tax liability.

A full SALT deduction is more valuable for higher income taxpayers, and prior to the 2017 cap, 91% of taxpayers who claimed it lived in California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Texas and Pennsylvania, according to an&nbsp;<a href="https://taxfoundation.org/taxedu/glossary/salt-deduction/" target="_blank">analysis</a>&nbsp;by the Tax Foundation.

Eliminating the cap would cut taxes by an average of more than $140,000 for the highest earning 0.1% of households, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/repealing-salt-cap-would-overwhelmingly-benefit-those-high-incomes" target="_blank">modeling</a>&nbsp;by the Tax Policy Center, a collaboration between the left-leaning Urban Institute and Brookings Institution.

The Committee for a Responsible Budget&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/salt-cap-expiration-could-be-costly-mistake#:~:text=Some%20policymakers%20have%20suggested%20allowing,%241.2%20trillion%20over%20a%20decade." target="_blank">estimates</a>&nbsp;the move could cost $1.2 trillion over a ten-year budget window.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724867447394.png" alt="Photo Associated Press" />
 <figcaption>Photo Associated Press</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>WASHINGTON — With the clock ticking on former President Donald Trump’s signature 2017 tax law, and high housing, food and child care costs darkening Americans’ mood, tax cuts have become the star of the 2024 presidential contest between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.Trump wants to overall extend his tax provisions beyond the 2025 expiration date and then some, promising to lower the corporate tax rate even further and lift the cap on the state and local taxes deduction.He argues the loss in federal revenue will be made up by imposing steep tariffs on imported goods.Tariff is a “beautiful word,” he told a crowd in Savannah, Georgia, Tuesday night, “one of the most beautiful words I’ve ever heard.”“We will take in hundreds of billions of dollars into our treasury and use that money to benefit the American citizens,” he said.Harris is running on an “opportunity economy” platform that keeps the Biden administration’s promises to not raise taxes on those making less than $400,000 and enact a “billionaire” tax.The vice president has also vowed to give tax deductions and credits to budding entrepreneurs and first-time homebuyers, and permanently expand the Child Tax Credit.“Under my plan, more than 100 million Americans will get a middle-class tax break that includes $6,000 for new parents during the first year of their child’s life,” Harris said Wednesday at a campaign speech in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Whoever wins the Oval Office&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/racing-toward-election-day-control-us-senate-and-house-grabs%C2%A0" target="_blank">will need</a>&nbsp;a cooperative Congress to enact these policies — with the exception of tariffs, over which the president enjoys wide&nbsp;<a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11030" target="_blank">latitude</a>.<h2>What would it cost?</h2>The barrage of proposals has kept economists busy with near-constant and evolving&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/issue-area/us-budget-watch-2024" target="_blank">analyses</a>&nbsp;of how much the&nbsp;<a href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2024/8/26/harris-campaign-policy-proposals-2024?te=1&amp;nl=the-morning&amp;emc=edit_nn_20240903" target="_blank">tax</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2024/8/26/trump-campaign-policy-proposals-2024?te=1&amp;nl=the-morning&amp;emc=edit_nn_20240903" target="_blank">cut</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://taxfoundation.org/research/federal-tax/2024-tax-plans/?utm_content=308246052&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;hss_channel=tw-16686673" target="_blank">promises</a>&nbsp;would add to the nation’s ballooning federal deficit and change the economy.Both candidates’ plans come with a price tag in the trillions of dollars, though Trump’s is the more expensive of the two.Models released in late August by the Penn Wharton Budget Model project Trump’s plan&nbsp;<a href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2024/8/26/trump-campaign-policy-proposals-2024?te=1&amp;nl=the-morning&amp;emc=edit_nn_20240903" target="_blank">would add</a>&nbsp;up to $5.8 trillion to the deficit over 10 years, while Harris’ plan would&nbsp;<a href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2024/8/26/harris-campaign-policy-proposals-2024?te=1&amp;nl=the-morning&amp;emc=edit_nn_20240903" target="_blank">increase</a>&nbsp;the deficit by up to $2 trillion over the same time period.“I think that both candidates are missing the mark when it comes to fiscal responsibility and economic responsibility,” the Tax Foundation’s Erica York told States Newsroom in an interview Monday.“Neither of them have really outlined a plan that would get us on a sustainable path in terms of debt and deficits, nor that would boost growth and opportunity in the economy. Both are likely to have a negative impact on the economy,” said York, senior economist and research director for the foundation, which generally favors lower taxes.<h2>Promise: No taxes on tips, overtime</h2>Trump, followed by Harris, has proposed to nix taxes on tipped workers — though Harris has suggested limiting the benefit to workers in the service and hospitality industries who earn less than $75,000.She has also said the tax break would not apply to payroll taxes, meaning the contribution workers pay toward Social Security and Medicare. Trump has not detailed any limits on his proposal for tipped workers.Economists across the board&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-floats-plan-end-taxes-tips-though-experts-raise-doubts" target="_blank">warn</a>&nbsp;Trump’s plan could incentivize more tipped work. They also question whether Trump and Harris’ proposals would actually benefit low-income workers.After all, tax benefits for lower income workers who have children phase in as the person earns income. Reporting less income means those taxpayers could ultimately see less help from the Child Tax Credit or the Earned Income Tax Credit.“If you work and you report income, you get these provisions. But if you don’t, you don’t get these provisions. Well, you add exemptions into the tax code that reduces the amount of earned income that you report to the IRS, you could potentially reduce the value of these credits for very low-income households,” Kyle Pomerleau, senior fellow at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute, told States Newsroom in an interview Monday.For instance, a tipped worker who has one child and earns $24,000 annually, half of which comes from tips, could see a $300 decrease in refundable tax credits under this policy, Pomerleau and senior AEI fellows Alex Brill and Stan Veuger&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aei.org/economics/a-tip-exemption-is-not-sound-tax-policy/" target="_blank">wrote</a>&nbsp;in August.The same principle for lower income taxpayers applies to Trump’s recent promise to eliminate taxes on overtime.“There could be a negative effect there, depending on how this is structured,” Pomerleau said Monday.The nonpartisan watchdog Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/donald-trumps-proposal-end-taxes-overtime" target="_blank">estimates</a>&nbsp;an elimination of taxes on all overtime would cost the country $1.7 trillion in lost revenue over 10 years. With no guardrails preventing workers switching from salaried to hourly, the price tag could reach up to $6 trillion in the most extreme case, CRFB estimates.<h2>Promise: No taxes on Social Security</h2>Economists monitoring the nation’s Social Security coffers continue to sound alarm bells on the program’s solvency — with little reaction on the campaign trail.The fund that provides money to senior citizens and people with disabilities is on track to be depleted by 2035, and recipients would face an immediate 17% cut in benefits, as the Tax Foundation’s Alex Durante&nbsp;<a href="https://taxfoundation.org/research/all/federal/social-security-reform-options/?utm_content=309361439&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;hss_channel=tw-16686673" target="_blank">wrote</a>&nbsp;Tuesday.Trump has mentioned Social Security during campaign rallies and on his social media platform, but in the context of eliminating taxes on the benefit payments.While low-income recipients do not pay taxes on their benefits, others do and are projected to contribute $94 billion this year back into the fund.Nixing those taxes could speed up Social Security’s insolvency by one year,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/donald-trumps-suggestion-end-taxation-social-security-benefits" target="_blank">according</a>&nbsp;to an analysis by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.<h2>Promise: New corporate tax rates and tariffs</h2>Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which cleared Congress strictly along party lines, permanently lowered the top corporate tax rate to 21% from 35%.Harris has vowed, if elected, she will bump the rate up to 28%.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/kamala-harris-proposal-raise-corporate-tax-rate-28" target="_blank">Analyses</a>&nbsp;from the CFRB, the Tax Foundation, Penn Wharton and the Yale Budget Lab estimate the increase would raise roughly $1 trillion to $1.2 trillion in federal revenue over the next decade.The former president wants to&nbsp;<a href="https://newjerseymonitor.com/2024/09/05/trump-promotes-raising-tariffs-corporate-tax-cut-in-battle-over-economy-with-harris/" target="_blank">cut</a>&nbsp;the rate even further to 15%, a&nbsp;<a href="https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/federal/historical-corporate-tax-rates-brackets/" target="_blank">level</a>&nbsp;not seen in the U.S. since the 1930s. Economists&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/donald-trumps-proposal-lower-corporate-tax-rate-15" target="_blank">estimate</a>&nbsp;the cut would reduce revenue anywhere from $460 billion to $673 billion over 10 years.“Here is the deal that I will be offering to every major company and manufacturer on Earth: I will give you the lowest taxes, the lowest energy costs, the lowest regulatory burden and free access to the best and biggest market on the planet, but only if you make your product here in America,” Trump said in Georgia Tuesday.Trump has big plans for products imported into the U.S. He’s planning to impose up to 20% tariffs on most imports, reaching as high as 60% on Chinese goods and 100% on countries that turn away from the U.S. dollar.That could cost the typical American household about $2,600 a year as costs on consumer goods would shift to the customer, particularly affecting those with lower incomes,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.piie.com/research/piie-charts/2024/trumps-bigger-tariff-proposals-would-cost-typical-american-household-over?te=1&amp;nl=the-morning&amp;emc=edit_nn_20240903" target="_blank">according</a>&nbsp;to economists Kimberly Clausing and Mary Lovely at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.Speaking at a farming roundtable in Pennsylvania Monday, Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?538599-1/president-trump-speaks-farming-roundtable-smithton-pennsylvania" target="_blank">publicly warned</a>&nbsp;John Deere that if the company moves manufacturing to Mexico, he’ll impose a 200% tariff on tractors coming back over the border.Experts warn another downside is that the policy invites foreign retaliation.“So if we are, say, exporting Kentucky bourbon to China, China may say, well, to retaliate for the 60% tax on imports, we’re going to place taxes on this export, and that’s going to have a direct impact on the incomes of Americans and make us poorer,” Pomerleau said.<h2>Promise: A billionaire tax</h2>A familiar refrain from Harris and the Biden administration is that billionaires and wealthy corporations should pay their “fair share.”The U.S. individual tax rate already progresses with an earner’s income, meaning that the higher your income, the higher your tax rate.Both Harris and Trump want to keep individual tax rates that were lowered across the board in the 2017 law, but Harris is seeking to increase taxes on long-term capital gains, and levy a minimum tax on unrealized capital gains for very high earners.For those earning upwards of $1 million a year, Harris&nbsp;<a href="https://newjerseymonitor.com/2024/09/05/trump-promotes-raising-tariffs-corporate-tax-cut-in-battle-over-economy-with-harris/" target="_blank">proposed</a>&nbsp;raising taxes to 28%, up from 20%, on profits made from the sale of an asset, like stocks, bonds, or real estate, that have been held by the owner for more than a year.The vice president also proposes quadrupling the&nbsp;<a href="https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/how-the-u-s-taxes-stock-buybacks-and-dividends/" target="_blank">stock buyback tax</a>&nbsp;to 4%, up from 1%.For ultra-wealthy households that have more than $100 million in assets, Harris follows Biden in proposing a 25% tax rate — sometimes referred to as the “billionaire tax.”Those high-wealth individuals would need to calculate their regular income tax liability and compare it to their total net worth, meaning income plus unrealized capital gains, multiplied by 25%.“Whichever is greater you pay,” Pomerleau explains. “So if you are in a situation where you have a low effective tax rate relative to this broader definition of income, the minimum tax will kick in and you’ll start paying increments.”The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/kamala-harris-plan-taxing-capital-income" target="_blank">estimates</a>&nbsp;the plan could raise $750 billion in revenue over ten years.<h2>Promise: No SALT cap</h2>Ahead of a mid-September campaign rally on Long Island, New York, Trump pledged to abandon the cap in his 2017 law on the state and local tax deduction — simply known in tax parlance as SALT.As the law stands now, taxpayers can only deduct up to $10,000 of their state and local tax bill from their federal tax liability.A full SALT deduction is more valuable for higher income taxpayers, and prior to the 2017 cap, 91% of taxpayers who claimed it lived in California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Texas and Pennsylvania, according to an&nbsp;<a href="https://taxfoundation.org/taxedu/glossary/salt-deduction/" target="_blank">analysis</a>&nbsp;by the Tax Foundation.Eliminating the cap would cut taxes by an average of more than $140,000 for the highest earning 0.1% of households, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/repealing-salt-cap-would-overwhelmingly-benefit-those-high-incomes" target="_blank">modeling</a>&nbsp;by the Tax Policy Center, a collaboration between the left-leaning Urban Institute and Brookings Institution.The Committee for a Responsible Budget&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/salt-cap-expiration-could-be-costly-mistake#:~:text=Some%20policymakers%20have%20suggested%20allowing,%241.2%20trillion%20over%20a%20decade." target="_blank">estimates</a>&nbsp;the move could cost $1.2 trillion over a ten-year budget window.

Taxes: Where do Trump and Harris stand?

DAMASCUS –&nbsp;U.S.Forces conducted two targeted strikes in Syria, killing 37 terrorist operatives, including multiple senior leaders of the terrorist organizations of ISIS and Hurras al-Din, an Al Qaeda affiliate, according to a media release from the U.S. Central Command.

The airstrikes are part of CENTCOM's ongoing commitment, along with partners in the region, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the U.S., our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond.

On Sept. 24, CENTCOM Forces conducted a targeted strike in northwest Syria, killing nine terrorist operatives, including Marwan Bassam 'Abd-al-Ra'uf, a senior Hurras al-Din leader responsible for overseeing military operations from Syria. Hurras al-Din is an Al Qaeda-affiliated organization based in Syria with global aspirations to conduct attacks against U.S. and Western interests. The successful strike against Marwan Bassam 'Abd-al-Ra'uf comes a month after&nbsp;<a href="https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/3883634/us-central-command-forces-killed-hurras-al-din-senior-leader/">a successful strike that killed another Hurras al-Din senior leader, Abu-'Abd al-Rahman al Makki.</a>

Additionally, on the early morning of Sept. 16, CENTCOM forces conducted a large-scale airstrike on a remote ISIS training camp in central Syria, killing at least 28 ISIS operatives, including at least four senior leaders. The airstrike will disrupt ISIS' capability to conduct operations against U.S. interests, as well as our allies and partners.

“These strikes against leadership and operatives of ISIS and the Al Qaeda affiliate, Hurras al-Din, represent CENTCOM's commitment to the enduring defeat of terrorist organizations in the CENTCOM area of responsibility and our support to regional stability," said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander, U.S. Central Command.

There is no indication any civilians were harmed in either strike.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708813391502.png" alt="File photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>File photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>DAMASCUS –&nbsp;U.S.Forces conducted two targeted strikes in Syria, killing 37 terrorist operatives, including multiple senior leaders of the terrorist organizations of ISIS and Hurras al-Din, an Al Qaeda affiliate, according to a media release from the U.S. Central Command.The airstrikes are part of CENTCOM's ongoing commitment, along with partners in the region, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the U.S., our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond.On Sept. 24, CENTCOM Forces conducted a targeted strike in northwest Syria, killing nine terrorist operatives, including Marwan Bassam 'Abd-al-Ra'uf, a senior Hurras al-Din leader responsible for overseeing military operations from Syria. Hurras al-Din is an Al Qaeda-affiliated organization based in Syria with global aspirations to conduct attacks against U.S. and Western interests. The successful strike against Marwan Bassam 'Abd-al-Ra'uf comes a month after&nbsp;<a href="https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/3883634/us-central-command-forces-killed-hurras-al-din-senior-leader/">a successful strike that killed another Hurras al-Din senior leader, Abu-'Abd al-Rahman al Makki.</a>Additionally, on the early morning of Sept. 16, CENTCOM forces conducted a large-scale airstrike on a remote ISIS training camp in central Syria, killing at least 28 ISIS operatives, including at least four senior leaders. The airstrike will disrupt ISIS' capability to conduct operations against U.S. interests, as well as our allies and partners.“These strikes against leadership and operatives of ISIS and the Al Qaeda affiliate, Hurras al-Din, represent CENTCOM's commitment to the enduring defeat of terrorist organizations in the CENTCOM area of responsibility and our support to regional stability," said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander, U.S. Central Command.There is no indication any civilians were harmed in either strike.

U.S. airstrikes on Syria kill 37 militants affiliated with extremist groups

WASHINGTON —The Israeli strike that killed Hezbollah’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/obituary-nasrallah-lebanon-israel-2da3789a02fd4e2e88511a7f59174d19">Hassan Nasrallah</a>&nbsp;was a “measure of justice" for victims of a four-decade “reign of terror,” President Joe Biden said Saturday.

In a statement on issued from the White House, Biden said, "Hassan Nasrallah and the terrorist group he led, Hezbollah, were responsible for killing hundreds of Americans over a four-decade reign of terror.&nbsp; His death from an Israeli airstrike is a&nbsp;measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians."

'The strike that killed Nasrallah took place in the broader context of the conflict that began with Hamas’s massacre on October 7, 2023.&nbsp; Nasrallah, the next day, made the fateful decision to join hands with Hamas and open what he called a “northern front” against Israel."

"The United States fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis,&nbsp;and any&nbsp;other Iranian-supported terrorist groups.&nbsp;&nbsp;Just yesterday, I directed my Secretary of Defense to further enhance the defense posture of U.S. military forces in the Middle East region to deter aggression and reduce the risk of a broader regional war."

"Ultimately, our aim is to de-escalate the ongoing conflicts in both Gaza and Lebanon through diplomatic means. &nbsp;In Gaza, we have been pursuing a deal backed by the UN Security Council for a ceasefire and the release of hostages.&nbsp; In Lebanon, we have been negotiating a deal that would return people safely to their homes in Israel and southern Lebanon.&nbsp; It is time for these deals to close, for the threats to Israel to be removed, and for the broader Middle East region to gain greater stability."

WASHINGTON —The Israeli strike that killed Hezbollah’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/obituary-nasrallah-lebanon-israel-2da3789a02fd4e2e88511a7f59174d19">Hassan Nasrallah</a>&nbsp;was a “measure of justice" for victims of a four-decade “reign of terror,” President Joe Biden said Saturday. <div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world. <a href="https://t.co/gBWxK9FW2F">pic.twitter.com/gBWxK9FW2F</a>&mdash; Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) <a href="https://twitter.com/IAFsite/status/1839951448190099460?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 28, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In a statement on issued from the White House, Biden said, "Hassan Nasrallah and the terrorist group he led, Hezbollah, were responsible for killing hundreds of Americans over a four-decade reign of terror.&nbsp; His death from an Israeli airstrike is a&nbsp;measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians."'The strike that killed Nasrallah took place in the broader context of the conflict that began with Hamas’s massacre on October 7, 2023.&nbsp; Nasrallah, the next day, made the fateful decision to join hands with Hamas and open what he called a “northern front” against Israel.""The United States fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis,&nbsp;and any&nbsp;other Iranian-supported terrorist groups.&nbsp;&nbsp;Just yesterday, I directed my Secretary of Defense to further enhance the defense posture of U.S. military forces in the Middle East region to deter aggression and reduce the risk of a broader regional war.""Ultimately, our aim is to de-escalate the ongoing conflicts in both Gaza and Lebanon through diplomatic means. &nbsp;In Gaza, we have been pursuing a deal backed by the UN Security Council for a ceasefire and the release of hostages.&nbsp; In Lebanon, we have been negotiating a deal that would return people safely to their homes in Israel and southern Lebanon.&nbsp; It is time for these deals to close, for the threats to Israel to be removed, and for the broader Middle East region to gain greater stability."

Biden: Israeli strike killing terrorist leader a 'measure of justice'

(LINCOLN, NE)&nbsp;– On Tuesday, October 1, at 10:00 AM CT,&nbsp;Nebraska Hospital Association (NHA) President Jeremy Nordquist&nbsp;will join hospital leaders and local health care advocates via Zoom to showcase NHA’s recent member survey results regarding the negative impact of Medicare Advantage plans.

In a survey of its 92 member hospitals, the Nebraska Hospital Association asked for input on their experiences working with Medicare Advantage plans. The result? Medicare Advantage is failing patients and jeopardizing Nebraska hospitals.

Patient access to health care is eroding as some Medicare Advantage plans restrict access to health services by inappropriately denying covered services that are medically necessary, requiring unreasonable levels of documentation to demonstrate clinical appropriateness, and changing health plan rules in the middle of a contract year.

Negative patient experience, financial impacts and administrative burdens, are all affecting Nebraska hospitals and policy changes are needed.

On this call, we’ll hear from hospital leaders across the state on their firsthand experiences working with Medicare Advantage plans at their respective facilities.

WHEN:Tuesday, October 1, 202410:00 AM CT

Join Zoom Meeting<a href="https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81247001746?pwd=DAuYO0nRMyRqb1NurWFkHPiDAV7Gcl.1" target="_blank">https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81247001746?pwd=DAuYO0nRMyRqb1NurWFkHPiDAV7Gcl.1</a>

AGENDA:Welcome, opening statement (Nordquist) and background on surveyStories/experiences from hospital leadersClosing remarks/Q&amp;A – (Nordquist)

ZOOM calls will be recorded and the media will be able to record separately.

(LINCOLN, NE)&nbsp;– On Tuesday, October 1, at 10:00 AM CT,&nbsp;Nebraska Hospital Association (NHA) President Jeremy Nordquist&nbsp;will join hospital leaders and local health care advocates via Zoom to showcase NHA’s recent member survey results regarding the negative impact of Medicare Advantage plans.In a survey of its 92 member hospitals, the Nebraska Hospital Association asked for input on their experiences working with Medicare Advantage plans. The result? Medicare Advantage is failing patients and jeopardizing Nebraska hospitals.Patient access to health care is eroding as some Medicare Advantage plans restrict access to health services by inappropriately denying covered services that are medically necessary, requiring unreasonable levels of documentation to demonstrate clinical appropriateness, and changing health plan rules in the middle of a contract year.Negative patient experience, financial impacts and administrative burdens, are all affecting Nebraska hospitals and policy changes are needed.On this call, we’ll hear from hospital leaders across the state on their firsthand experiences working with Medicare Advantage plans at their respective facilities.WHO:<ul>
 <li>Jeremy Nordquist, President, Nebraska Hospital Association</li><li>Ivan Mitchell, CEO, Great Plains Health (North Platte)</li><li>Neil Hilton, President/CEO Perkins County Health Services (Grant)</li><li>Dr. Stephen Mohring, Internal Medicine, Nebraska Medicine (Omaha)</li><li>Jed Hansen, Executive Director, Nebraska Rural Health Association</li>
 </ul>WHEN:Tuesday, October 1, 202410:00 AM CTWHERE:&nbsp;via ZoomZOOM INFO:Join Zoom Meeting<a href="https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81247001746?pwd=DAuYO0nRMyRqb1NurWFkHPiDAV7Gcl.1" target="_blank">https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81247001746?pwd=DAuYO0nRMyRqb1NurWFkHPiDAV7Gcl.1</a>AGENDA:Welcome, opening statement (Nordquist) and background on surveyStories/experiences from hospital leadersClosing remarks/Q&amp;A – (Nordquist)ZOOM calls will be recorded and the media will be able to record separately.

Nebraska Hospital Association and Local Leaders to Highlight Negative Impact of Medicare Advantage on Nebraska Seniors and Hospitals

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/26/lawmaker-formally-challenges-nebraskas-gender-care-rules-and-regulations/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN —&nbsp;A state lawmaker is formally challenging Nebraska’s rules and regulations on gender care treatments for transgender youths and minors with gender dysphoria.

State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, who staunchly opposed&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=49961" target="_blank">Legislative Bill 574</a>&nbsp;that granted the rulemaking authority in 2023, has issued a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/LB-574-Rules-Regulation-Challenge-Letter-1.pdf">letter</a>&nbsp;to State Sen. Ray Aguilar of Grand Island objecting to the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/181-NAC-8-03-17-2024.pdf">regulations</a>. Aguilar chairs the Legislature’s Executive Board, the highest-ranking committee that oversees internal affairs.

Under&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=84-907.10" target="_blank">state law</a>, any state senator can challenge a set of rules or regulations if they feel it is unconstitutional, inconsistent with legislative intent or “creates an undue burden in a manner that significantly outweighs its benefit to the public.”

State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha sponsored LB 574, the “Let Them Grow Act,” which Cavanaugh fought throughout the 2023 legislative session. That opposition brought the legislative process to a crawl.

Cavanaugh said in her letter that the gender care regulations impose significant barriers to the treatments —&nbsp;primarily puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones —&nbsp;on the basis of gender identity. She said the regulations represent a “profound injustice.”

“The regulations, motivated by animus toward the affected class, undermine their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” Cavanaugh wrote to Aguilar, referring to the Nebraska Constitution’s Bill of Rights. “Access to necessary health care is a fundamental aspect of these rights, determined by the individual, their medical provider and their family.”

LB 574 set out a minimum four-part standard for eventual regulations that the state’s chief medical officer, Dr. Timothy Tesmer, would need to adopt:

The&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/10/17/final-draft-regulations-for-nebraska-gender-care-law-released-ahead-of-november-hearing/">final regulations</a>&nbsp;from Tesmer and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services mandated at least 40 hours of clinically objective and non-biased gender-identity-focused therapy, required youths to live primarily as their preferred gender for at least six months and imposed a seven-day waiting period between informed patient consent and prescription.

No more than two hours per week of therapy can be banked, pushing the minimum timeline to at least five months. Injectable medications are required to be performed in a doctor’s office.

LB 574 took effect Oct. 1, 2023, alongside&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/10/01/nebraska-approves-emergency-regulations-regarding-gender-care-for-minors/">emergency regulations</a>. Gov. Jim Pillen approved the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/03/12/gov-pillen-approves-nebraska-gender-care-regulations/">final, slightly modified set of regulations</a>&nbsp;March 12, and the regulations took effect five days later.

Many of the concerns Cavanaugh shared in her letter mirror those that transgender Nebraskans and their providers told DHHS officials about at a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/11/28/nebraskans-testify-largely-against-gender-care-regulations-ask-for-looser-restrictions/">12-hour hearing last November</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/07/05/you-need-to-know-us-trans-youths-describe-life-in-nebraska/">Transgender youths</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/11/07/nebraska-gender-care-law-causes-confusion-among-mental-health-providers/">mental health providers</a>&nbsp;shared similar concerns with the Nebraska Examiner.

Cavanaugh said she’s heard from many of those same testifiers since the regulations took effect. She said she filed the complaint as soon as she could after learning this summer of the law to challenge a regulation.

Cavanaugh’s letter cites the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Nebraska Constitution in stating that the regulations delay care and “ignore the specific clinical needs of transgender individuals.” Cavanaugh said the set of guidelines also “disregards the urgency and individualized nature of treating gender dysphoria.”

For example, Cavanaugh said, requirements are different for patients with gender dysphoria compared to requirements for other patients who use puberty blockers and hormones for non-gender-dysphoria-related reasons.

Kauth and others have argued there needs to be extra care for youths before deciding whether they should be prescribed puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones that will impact them for the rest of their lives. LB 574, as introduced, would have banned the medications before age 19.

Complaint referred to legislative committee

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727451752656.jpeg" alt="State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha. Aug. 16, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha. Aug. 16, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Zach Wendling<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/26/lawmaker-formally-challenges-nebraskas-gender-care-rules-and-regulations/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN —&nbsp;A state lawmaker is formally challenging Nebraska’s rules and regulations on gender care treatments for transgender youths and minors with gender dysphoria.State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, who staunchly opposed&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=49961" target="_blank">Legislative Bill 574</a>&nbsp;that granted the rulemaking authority in 2023, has issued a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/LB-574-Rules-Regulation-Challenge-Letter-1.pdf">letter</a>&nbsp;to State Sen. Ray Aguilar of Grand Island objecting to the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/181-NAC-8-03-17-2024.pdf">regulations</a>. Aguilar chairs the Legislature’s Executive Board, the highest-ranking committee that oversees internal affairs.Under&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=84-907.10" target="_blank">state law</a>, any state senator can challenge a set of rules or regulations if they feel it is unconstitutional, inconsistent with legislative intent or “creates an undue burden in a manner that significantly outweighs its benefit to the public.”State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha sponsored LB 574, the “Let Them Grow Act,” which Cavanaugh fought throughout the 2023 legislative session. That opposition brought the legislative process to a crawl.Cavanaugh said in her letter that the gender care regulations impose significant barriers to the treatments —&nbsp;primarily puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones —&nbsp;on the basis of gender identity. She said the regulations represent a “profound injustice.”“The regulations, motivated by animus toward the affected class, undermine their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” Cavanaugh wrote to Aguilar, referring to the Nebraska Constitution’s Bill of Rights. “Access to necessary health care is a fundamental aspect of these rights, determined by the individual, their medical provider and their family.”<h2>History of the regulations</h2>LB 574 set out a minimum four-part standard for eventual regulations that the state’s chief medical officer, Dr. Timothy Tesmer, would need to adopt:<ul>
 <li>A minimum number of “gender-identify-focused” hours of therapy.</li><li>Patient advisory requirements.</li><li>Patient medical documentation requirements.</li><li>A minimum waiting period between informed patient consent and the administration, prescription or delivery of such medications.</li>
 </ul>The&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/10/17/final-draft-regulations-for-nebraska-gender-care-law-released-ahead-of-november-hearing/">final regulations</a>&nbsp;from Tesmer and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services mandated at least 40 hours of clinically objective and non-biased gender-identity-focused therapy, required youths to live primarily as their preferred gender for at least six months and imposed a seven-day waiting period between informed patient consent and prescription.No more than two hours per week of therapy can be banked, pushing the minimum timeline to at least five months. Injectable medications are required to be performed in a doctor’s office.LB 574 took effect Oct. 1, 2023, alongside&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/10/01/nebraska-approves-emergency-regulations-regarding-gender-care-for-minors/">emergency regulations</a>. Gov. Jim Pillen approved the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/03/12/gov-pillen-approves-nebraska-gender-care-regulations/">final, slightly modified set of regulations</a>&nbsp;March 12, and the regulations took effect five days later.<h2>Similar concerns already aired</h2>Many of the concerns Cavanaugh shared in her letter mirror those that transgender Nebraskans and their providers told DHHS officials about at a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/11/28/nebraskans-testify-largely-against-gender-care-regulations-ask-for-looser-restrictions/">12-hour hearing last November</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/07/05/you-need-to-know-us-trans-youths-describe-life-in-nebraska/">Transgender youths</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/11/07/nebraska-gender-care-law-causes-confusion-among-mental-health-providers/">mental health providers</a>&nbsp;shared similar concerns with the Nebraska Examiner.Cavanaugh said she’s heard from many of those same testifiers since the regulations took effect. She said she filed the complaint as soon as she could after learning this summer of the law to challenge a regulation.Cavanaugh’s letter cites the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Nebraska Constitution in stating that the regulations delay care and “ignore the specific clinical needs of transgender individuals.” Cavanaugh said the set of guidelines also “disregards the urgency and individualized nature of treating gender dysphoria.”For example, Cavanaugh said, requirements are different for patients with gender dysphoria compared to requirements for other patients who use puberty blockers and hormones for non-gender-dysphoria-related reasons.Kauth and others have argued there needs to be extra care for youths before deciding whether they should be prescribed puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones that will impact them for the rest of their lives. LB 574, as introduced, would have banned the medications before age 19.<h2>Complaint referred to legislative committee</h2>Aguilar, reached Thursday, said he will refer the complaint to the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee, of which Cavanaugh is a member.“Nobody’s ever come to me and said anything about it,” Aguilar said about the set of regulations. “I just want to leave it alone.”Under the law, if the Health and Human Services Committee concludes “that the complaint has merit,” it can take various steps, such as requesting:<ul>
 <li>A description of the regulations.</li><li>An explanation of how the regulations abide by legislative intent and the state and federal constitution and are “not an undue burden.”</li><li>A statement on why the regulations are necessary.</li><li>An explanation on how&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-hhs-makes-no-changes-to-draft-regs-on-gender-care-for-trans-minors-after-public-hearing/">public comment</a>&nbsp;was taken into consideration by the agency with respect to drafting the rules and regulations.</li>
 </ul>DHHS would need to respond within 60 days, should the committee make such a request.State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, who chairs the committee, was also the key lawmaker who wrote the final amendment to LB 574,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/10/final-say-on-nebraska-gender-care-legislation-would-be-delegated-to-executive-appointee-and-dhhs/">delegating the regulations</a>&nbsp;to the chief medical officer. He did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.Kauth said she was reviewing the complaint letter and had no immediate comment. A spokesperson for DHHS said the agency promulgated regulations “in accordance with the law.”<h2>Senator vows to continue fighting</h2>The HHS Committee, with support from Hansen and Cavanaugh, requested an in-person briefing from Dr. Tesmer on Feb. 29.&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/state-chief-medical-officer-a-no-show-at-nebraska-gender-care-briefing/">He did not show up</a>. The agency’s chief legal officer said Tesmer had to “respectfully decline” because the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office was at the time reviewing the regulations.Cavanaugh had&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/legislative-proposal-to-repeal-nebraskas-2023-abortion-and-gender-care-law-withdrawn/">withdrawn another bill</a>&nbsp;this year to repeal LB 574 in exchange for the briefing, which she said was to get more clarity. She said Thursday she will keep fighting.“I will continue to use every tool available to me to advocate for and fight for transgender youth and all youth in Nebraska and across the country,” Cavanaugh said in a phone call. “As soon as I realized that I had this tool available to me, I found a way forward to utilize it.”The U.S. Supreme Court is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/2024/23-477" target="_blank">poised to take up a similar case</a>&nbsp;dealing with treatments for youths with gender dysphoria in its next term this fall, on an appeal from the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The appeal deals with prohibitions on care in Kentucky and Tennessee.The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is in the process of&nbsp;<a href="https://arkansasadvocate.com/2024/04/11/federal-court-hears-oral-arguments-in-safe-act-appeal/#:~:text=Arkansas%20Attorney%20General%20Tim%20Griffin,and%20often%20permanent%20for%20them." target="_blank">weighing an appeal</a>&nbsp;from Arkansas after a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/20/federal-judge-strikes-down-arkansas-ban-on-gender-affirming-health-care-for-transgender-youth/">federal judge struck down</a>&nbsp;a related gender care law in June 2023. Nebraska is part of the 8th Circuit, and Nebraska lawmakers said they&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/23/nebraska-lawmakers-respond-to-arkansas-court-decision-striking-gender-care-law/">would be watching for the 8th Circuit decision</a>.