Gov. Pillen on Liquor Board, Scholarship Tax Credit Issues

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good to welcome Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen back to the program.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Go of good morning, Good morning Gerry. How are you
doing that?

Speaker 1 (00:06):
Well, good to have you here. I want to get
first to the Liquor Control Commission story because it's they've
been in the news a lot lately and typical over
the years. They're in the news when there's a bar
in trouble and they have to rule on something. But
in this case you had the former head, he's in
trouble now charged with being in cahoots with a couple

(00:27):
of strip clubs in Lincoln. And then there was a
story about a proposal to allow customers and strip clubs
to touch the dancers that got shot down. And now
you've asked and received for and received the resignations of
two of the remaining commission members, Bruce Bailey and Kim Lowe.
Why did you do that?

Speaker 2 (00:49):
Well? Really simple. The Liquor Commission, which is appointed by
the governor, I did not appoint. They have one person.
They get paid for the job. It's non volunteer. They
get paid for the job. They have one employee. Uh,
this person became rogue. Uh. What the FBI and what's

(01:10):
been brought before him. Is is just uh ridiculous. I
don't know what adjective to use. Unacceptable And if you
don't have any idea, that means you're not engaged. That
means you're not talking to anybody. I have no confidence,
Nebraska has no confidence. We need to start with a
clean slate. And I'm grateful for their work. I'm grateful

(01:32):
they resigned.

Speaker 1 (01:33):
You say that the employee was out of control, not
the not the board members, right, just want to make
sure we have.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
Yeah, yeah, no question. I've not accused any board member
of any Malfeasan's just in confidence.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
Okay, So how quickly can you appoint new ones?

Speaker 2 (01:49):
Uh? You know, we're taking applications and we'll get that
accomplished within the next month.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
Okay. Now the federal Scholarship tax credit program. Uh, you
were surround by private school students and we'rek and I
think our congressional delegation you were happy to sign that.
What is the impact of this in your view in Nebraska?

Speaker 2 (02:12):
Well, it's you know, yeah, it's a really exciting day.
I'm mystified if anybody's against it. As your governor, I'm
working very hard, I believe fully in making sure that
we get more than our fair share of federal dollars
to the state in Nebraska. This is a federal program

(02:32):
passing the big beautiful bill to be able to assist students.
You know, I'm telling you a lot. It is high
time in the state in Nebraska that public education and
private education plays ball together and supports each other. We
have great public education, we have great private education. Let's

(02:54):
play ball together. Let's make sure that we don't let
any kid left behind. That's one thing we all agree
on in Nebraska. You know, Teachers' union. Let's get in
the game. Let's get federal dollars. It's really simple. We
have a million dollars million just right it a million taxpayers.
If one percent that's ten thousand. If one percent played

(03:18):
in the game, that'd be seventeen million dollars of federal
money coming to the state in Nebraska. And oh, by
the way, it can help kids in public education be
utilized for tutors and et cetera. So it's really important
for everybody to really understand what's going on. Think of this.
If we get if we'd have ten percent, that's one

(03:38):
hundred and seventy million dollars of federal dollars coming to Nebraska.
The purest the ideologists that say that, you know, the
federal Yeah, I can see the federal meter going up.
But guess what if that if we don't do it,
it's going to other places. So it's a great program.
It's going to support uh, it's going to support families

(03:59):
as homes, it's going to support families in private education.
It's going to support kids in public education and need
extra help and tutoring. It's a gigantic win. It's an
equity incision into Nebraska's education gov.

Speaker 3 (04:14):
The people of Nebraska spoke on this issue, and fifty
seven percent of them in the last election said we
don't believe the tax money in any form should go
to private schools. So the idea that the idea that
nobody wants. This explain your view of that.

Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yeah, really simple, really simple. If you look at the
if you look at the voting data, and if you know,
you know, when we have ballot initiatives and millions of
dollars come from outside of the state to have the
impact on the ballot initiative, that's not the people speaking.

(04:50):
I believe in school choice, I believe in private education.
I believe in public education. I have spent countless hours
in meetings working with public superintendents. You could call, call anywhere.
I'm a supporter of education. We have to work together

(05:10):
and we need we need both. We need we need
strong private education, we need strong public education. And the
biggest of all is the choice for the kids and
finding the right fit. Guess what, not every kid has
the right fit in private education. When it's not the
right fit, where do they go? They go to public education.

(05:32):
We need to have a go both, go both ways
if we care about kids. It's a no brainer, and
it's bipartisan.

Speaker 1 (05:42):
Go go go.

Speaker 2 (05:43):
Talk to the senators that are living that have a
lot of kids in poverty. There are one hundred percent
support of the school choice.

Speaker 3 (05:49):
And in this case, what we're talking about is not
a direct subsidy from the federal government. What we're talking
about is the opportunity for folks who donate into an
Opportunity Scholarship fund to get a to get a dollar
for Dotter tax credit on their refund, which is great
on their federal refund. So explain how this program will
bring more actual dollars into the state of Nebraska for education.

Speaker 2 (06:12):
Okay, We're really simple, Rosie. If you don't participate, your
seventeen one hundred dollars goes to federal government. We don't
see it.

Speaker 1 (06:21):
Got it, Okay, all right, I got it.

Speaker 2 (06:23):
Yes, I mean so it's a I mean, it's a
it's a great opportunity, and quite honestly, we're going to
work really, really hard to get all Nebraskans. Hey, here's
what's awesome. We live in the greatest place in the
world because it's the people Nebraskans or givers. Once we
get rid of me, off of our forehead, and once
we start thinking about the kids, once we start thinking

(06:45):
about our kids, everybody's going to step up. I believe
we really can get the twenty percent because public education wins,
private education, homeschool wins. This is a winner for the
kids who can Who on earth can disagree with that.

Speaker 1 (07:00):
Teaking of that.

Speaker 3 (07:00):
If you were the governor of Iowa and the superintendent
of the school district, the largest school district in your
state was an illegal alien that was ordered out of
the country by a Democrat immigration judge, what would your
position with the des Moines or the Omaha school Board,
or whichever that community would be As the governor of

(07:22):
the state. What would your position be on the status
of the board of Education that approved that higher.

Speaker 2 (07:29):
Well, he's well number one. If he's proven to be
a criminal. If he's proven to have criminal activity, I'd
get him in an ice facility and get him deported.
If he has not proven to be a criminal activity,
I would ask for the resignation. It's unacceptable. It's unacceptable

(07:49):
what's taking place there, and it's mind boggling. You know,
I just scanned it briefly. It looked like he's had
jobs that ten different cities. Looks like a man on
the run.

Speaker 1 (07:59):
Yeah, it's like he was a registered voter in DC
or no, I'm the Connecticut man. It seems to me
that this is the responsibility of the Board of Education
and at some point they have to be held to
account for this. It's their only job is hiring the superintendent.
And if you blow that, talk about incompetence, how do

(08:19):
they stay around?

Speaker 2 (08:21):
Well, I would being elected as a school board members
one of the most important elections in our state. I
do believe board of educations have more responsibility than just
hiring a superintendent and keeping the superintendent accountable. You know,
they need to have their sleeves rolled up and play
a role in a lot a lot of things that

(08:42):
go on in educating our children and what they're exposed
to and what the class curriculum is and so forth,
and making sure that we don't spend all of our
money on youthful stuff, that we're focused on the key things. So,
you know, I think I think in the end, it's
really really important that you know, if anybody says, well,

(09:05):
this is okay or whatever gives it just gives a
slice of how out of control things have been at
the federal level and how many people have come into
this country over the years. You know, when you have
a guy that's placed in a high responsibility with our
kids and he's carrying a knife and a loaded gun,

(09:27):
Holy cow, I'm just saying, what on earth? I think
we I feel great the direction we're going. We're making headways.
I think there's been a million people arrested and deported
that are criminals, and you know, we have to The
good news is the borders getting secured. The good news
is the amount of meth, aphetamine and fentanel that's been
being smuggled in. You know, it's really really fascinating. The

(09:51):
side note on the cattle industry and the screwworm. Guess
who wants the border open. Guess who wants the border open,
which would devis date our cattle industry. But the cartels,
the cartels are working really really hard to mess the
whole thing up. They're controlling the country, and you know,
I'm I pray that president decides to go down and

(10:12):
take the cartels out because that's that's what's really really
causing security issues in this country.

Speaker 1 (10:18):
God. Thanks, let's stay in touch.

Speaker 2 (10:20):
Hey, thanks for the time. You guys have a great
tame too.

Speaker 1 (10:23):
Governor Jim Pillen here