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Gov. Heineman discusses jobs, education, taxes

Governor Dave Heineman says the state of Nebraska is doing better than most of the nation when it comes to unemployment and jobs.

Heineman spoke Tuesday at a Ralston Chamber of Commerce event. Nebraska’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in February was 3.6 percent, the second-lowest in the nation. Heineman says that’s due to fiscal responsibility and a focus on job creation.

“We’ve made the tough decisions. We went through some tough economic times over the last four or five years, but every year we balanced our budget. We invested in our most important priorities, which for us is education and jobs. And they’re linked together when you think about what we’re trying to do.”

Meanwhile, the Nebraska Legislature is scheduled to adjourn on Thursday.

Heineman praised the Legislature for passing a tax relief package of $412 million dollars over the next five years.

“For every individual citizen who pays income taxes, we’re now, going forward, going to index those income tax brackets for inflation. This is very significant in the scheme of things that because of inflation, you’re not going to pay higher taxes. Secondly, we put an additional $25 million in the property tax credit fund for direct property tax relief.”

Heineman says he supports more dual-credit programs in high schools to give students a start on a college education. He also called for the state to lower tax rates over a period of several years, saying it’ll improve the state’s business climate.