Briefly introduce yourself

 

Do you have any ideas for a bill or issue you would bring on day one?

Hallstrom: 1. If valuations go up the levy goes down by a commensurate amount. 2.  End the inheritance tax. 3. Ease regulations that raise the cost of child care but do not increase safety.

Hallstrom: "Repeal the death tax. That's one area where my opponent and I differ, but I would repeal the death tax."



Schaardt: 1. Eliminate rules so taxes can be cut on the county level. 2. Work with schools so they don't have to spend so much money. 3. Loosen rules that will generate money besides land tax and sin tax.

Schaardt: "If we grow our state by allowing more things to come in and maybe loosen our rules up. Maybe be that happy state like the show-me state of Missouri or South Dakota. Everybody's got something, but Nebraska doesn't seem like we have something we can generate money. I think we need to open our borders up and put our hair down and let people do a little bit more here so we can generate a different tax money."



Nebraska's agricultural sector is significant for the state's economy. What strategies would you support for agricultural innovation, bio-economy and sustainability?

Schaardt: "We're seeing some push back from people from changing the way agriculture is by allowing these chicken barns or hog barns or different types of things in, but I think, if we really want to survive, we're going to have to allow things like that to happen because then our next generation can stay on the family farm."

Hallstrom: Innovation Campus at UNL. "Research and technology is so essential for agricultural production and increases in agricultural production. The innovation campus led the charge when we developed the ethanol industry ... I would suggest that sustainable aviation fuel appears to be the next frontier."

Many citizens are disappointed that the recent special legislative session did not produce the property tax relief anticipated. How would you address the property tax issue?

Hallstrom: "We can go a long ways by decreasing spending and reducing inefficiencies at the state and local level."

Schaardt: "I think we need to grow our economy and raise different taxes. That's how we need to approach this instead of just saying we're going to cut everything. It's not going to work."

What ideas presented during the special session most appeal to you for addressing Nebraskan's property tax concerns?

Schaardt: "The most thing was that the governor was going to get rid of the property taxes for the schools. The problem is it would be like Dylan Raiola not having a front line to block for him. That's what the governor did. He went in there with no help to get anything done."

Hallstrom: "I mentioned the revenue growth caps. Dennis seems to be not very concerned or interested in cutting spending, suggesting that it's not easy to do at the local level -- nothing worth doing is easy."

Would you have voted in favor of the Governor’s tax proposal?

Hallstrom: "I see the property tax crisis as more of a spending problem rather than a revenue problem."

Schaardt: "Bob says I want to raise taxes. I don't want to raise taxes. The only taxes I want to raise is if we can increase something  from something else whether it be more gambling coming in, or what it would be?  Horse racing, something. We need to allow something to come to this state that draws people to this state."

Do you support increasing so called “sin” (tobacco, vaping, gambling) taxes to reduce property taxes?

Schaardt: "Increasing the sin tax? It's so high already on cigarettes and beer and everything, I don't think increasing it will do you any good. The more you increase it you're going to see people quitting more."

Hallstrom: "In the special session and the regular session I was not in favor of the level of taxes on those particular elements."

Nebraska City and Auburn school districts are facing tough funding challenges. How can the legislature fund schools more fairly?


Schaardt: "Everybody should get the same amount (per student) funding from the state to start with and then for all your special needs and other things then they should get extra for that."

Hallstrom: "There was a bill introduced during the special session that suggested maybe removing the resources component, which I think would be favorable for the rural school districts in that regard."

Nebraska is facing workforce shortages across many critical industries. How can policymakers improve Nebraska's workforce?

Hallstrom: "Directly I think we need to build on the existing internship and apprentice programs that have been established at the state level. There are also some remarkable things going on in southeast Nebraska in District 1 with regard to career academy opportunities, which I think could be expanded as well."

Schaardt: (career academy) "They have programs for kids getting their CNA when they are in high school so they can get like a part-time job, you know. Child care you have to have 45 hours of credit before you can work in a daycare, so I think that's another thing that should be put into the schools."


What ideas do you have for economic development and revitalization of communities within the district?

Schaardt: (rural communities) "We need money to come into them to help build more houses. We have more houses, we have more people. There will be more jobs coming."

Hallstrom: "We need to address a number of things -- high level of property tax, the existing workforce shortages, workforce housing shortages. We need to ensure access to rural health care and improve the accessibility and the affordability of child care."

 

Business owners continue to cite a lack of housing as key in growing their businesses. Could you share your thoughts on the state's role in addressing this challenge


Hallstrom: "There are programs in place for rural workforce housing. A funding act is in place, which I was instrumental in promoting and drafting legislation on. When you look at that program it's an excellent example of a public/private partnership."

Schaardt: "We just got to keep hammering at it and figuring out programs we've been working on up there. He says all this is out there for us, but I guess these little towns do not have economic developers .... Where's the help for those people?"


Immigrants contribute significantly to Nebraska's economy and workforce. How do you propose addressing workforce shortages and labor needs in our state through thoughtful immigration policies that balance economic growth with national security considerations?

Schaardt: "Immigration, it's a federal thing. I don't think as a Legislature we're going to be able to decide who can stay and who can go. It's got to be done by the federal side of it first. But to me, it's a big part of Nebraska for an ag thing. Immigrants coming in are doing these jobs that a lot of other people don't want to do so it's a big part of our society and I think we need to meet it  head on and work with it and somehow make it work for us because I think it will make us grow in the long run by bringing immigrants here. 

"You know, we need to go through the proper process of doing it."


Hallstrom: "I think it's important to balance those issues of workforce needs and national security ... First and foremost we need to protect our borders and stem the tide of illegal immigrants in our country. Within the last four years we've had immigration policies that have created a threat to our national security and have fueled a humanitarian crisis in areas of our country."


Closing statements

 

Hallstrom

 

 

Schaardt