PLATTSMOUTH - Gov. Pete Ricketts was in Plattsmouth Wednesday morning to discuss the conclusion of the "historic" legislative session and take questions from attendees at the Plattsmouth Public Library.

Ricketts said the legislative session was set up by the work the people of the state did during the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor said Nebraska was ranked first in terms of its pandemic response based on health, social well-being, education and economy according to Politico. The state economy ranked first during the pandemic which made more companies open to investing in Nebraska, creating jobs.

Ricketts: "What we see here in Nebraska is that we have the lowest unemployment rate in the country. We had the lowest unemployment rate on average throughout 2020, 2021 and now 2022. And we have the lowest unemployment rate in the state's history."

The low unemployment rate has had a positive impact on the states revenue. Ricketts said the state revenues are running "over $1 billion ahead of the forecast" and the state has already collected about $750 million of that money so far. All this excess money can be returned to the state in the form of tax relief.

Ricketts: "That is what we did in this legislative session. And it is one of the reasons why I say this session was so historic."

Ricketts discussed with the crowd the different forms of tax relief the state has provided under his administration such as social security, property tax relief and income tax relief. In terms of LB-873, which ends taxation on social security, the governor said the timetable has been accelerated.

Ricketts: "[Nebraska] are one of the few states that actually tax social security benefits. Last year we passed a bill to start getting rid of that tax over a 10-year period. This year, as part of LB-873, we accelerated that from 10 years to five years."

This allows the social security tax relief to get to the state's seniors, faster. The process will be 100 percent phased in by 2025. The state's income taxes are being reduced from 6.84 percent to 5.84 percent which will be phased in over five years. By the time all the programs are completely phased in, Ricketts says the total tax relief package comes out to $3.4 billion.

Ricketts: "That tax relief package is 12 times higher of any tax relief package passed by any previous administration in the state of Nebraska. It truly is historic tax relief."

The future 3,600-acre lake between Lincoln and Omaha was a topic of discussion as well. The design and exact location of the lake is still being determined, but the lake is part of a plan to invest in the state's water resources. The lake would provide another tourist destination and act as a way to add more residents to the state while keeping the young people from leaving.

The floor was then opened up to the public for questions. One attendee asked if Ricketts was concerned about the loss of good farmland to construct the lake.

Ricketts: "I think one of the things you see from our farmers and ranchers is that they continue to be more productive and create more crops with less resources. I think that our farmers and ranchers do a wonderful job of being able to be more productive, so I think the 3,600 acres is well worth the tradeoff of having this amenity that can help us keep our young people here."

Another attendee asked if there was anything the governor could share about the expansion of rural broadband internet in Nebraska and its ability to be an economic development driver.

Ricketts: "This is something we are going to need to continue to invest in, maybe at the state level or get federal money. But one of the challenges is there is going to be limitations on how fast we can do it."

Ricketts: "It's going to be an important part of how we grow the state going forward."

One of the highlights of the governor's visit was a local third grader asking the governor what his favorite color was. Ricketts said his favorite color was red and signed his card for the young student while telling her to tell her teacher that he said she deserves extra credit.