Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Legislature, Distinguished Guests, Friends and Fellow Nebraskans. Thank you for the opportunity to speak at the conclusion of this productive session of firsts. This legislative session was a first for many of us in these roles, whether as freshman senators, committee chairs, Speaker of the Legislature, or Governor.

Four and a half months ago, I stood before you under extraordinary circumstances and said that together we could accomplish a great deal in a short period of time, and we have. We looked forward with eyes trained on the future and considered the best course for our whole state – rural and urban.

By extending your focus beyond the needs of today to anticipate the future needs of our state, you have helped to create a solid foundation to build upon in the next session and in the years to come. I know that you were able to accomplish much of what you have because of the efficient management style of a speaker willing to try new ideas. The results of his leadership speak for themselves. Mr. Speaker, thank you for your hard work prioritizing the work of this body.

Let us also not forget the leadership of our state’s more experienced legislators, Senator Dave Landis and Senator Roger Wehrbein who with extraordinary focus addressed the economic needs of our state with LB 312 and LB 90, and Senator DiAnna Schimek, who sponsored the first bill I signed, LB 54, which answered access questions about benefits for our veterans, as well as the first one I vetoed and had overridden.

Senator Don Pederson, as chairman of the Appropriations Committee, made sure we paid the low-level waste settlement in one lump sum. He and his committee built a forward-looking budget that values education and the economic vitality of our state, along with compassion for the less fortunate.

I have been asked what I will remember most about my first legislative session as Governor. What I will remember is this: no matter how we disagreed, you and I did so in a professional and courteous manner. The professional working relationship we have built together regardless of party, politics or the nature of an issue, is vital in an age of partisan bickering and grandstanding.

My staff and I spoke with this body’s senior member, Senator Ernie Chambers, on a number of issues where I knew we might not agree, but he treated me fairly and I hope he feels we did the same.

I am proud to call you colleagues and friends, and I am pleased that we share a common vision for Nebraska’s future. With your help, particularly the work of Senator Ron Raikes, we fully funded state aid to schools and increased special education funding.

We should be proud of the education we provide the children of this state. I am proud and pleased to announce that a few minutes ago I signed into law Senator Raikes’ LB 577, the Early Childhood Education Act. We know first-hand the value of early childhood education.

I am also pleased to say that we recognized the importance of education after high school, whether at the university, state college and community college level. As I have said before, education is forever linked with the economic vitality of Nebraska. We cannot continue to educate the best workers in the world and export them to other states. That is why I am pleased to see the University of Nebraska and higher education embracing their roles in economic development. That is also why Senator Landis and Senator Wehrbein’s jobs-creation package, the Nebraska Advantage, is so important.

We had two choices in this state. We could do nothing and watch our population mature, our costs increase and our tax base dwindle, or we could take bold action and commit to growing our state. I am particularly pleased that we were able to accomplish the latter.

The Nebraska Advantage positions us to grow our tax base by an estimated 57,000 jobs over the next eight years, according to the UNL Bureau of Business Research. It addresses the economic needs of small and large businesses in small and large communities, as well as our agricultural roots.

Another important priority for our state that we addressed is public safety. I applaud the leadership of Senators Pat Bourne, Arnie Stuthman, Ray Aguilar, Jeanne Combs and Marian Price on LB 117. This law will curb the meth labs here at home so investigators can spend their time and energy on the root of the meth problem – the dealers importing it. Without your willingness to work in tandem toward this goal, we might never have accomplished so much.

In addition to addressing supply, we also addressed demand with the help of Speaker Brashear, Senator Flood and Senator Synowiecki; we are seeking a roadmap to future treatment.

We continue to work toward our goals of minimizing duplication, embracing technology, and eliminating waste. You have heard me say before that we must take small steps; save pennies to save dimes, and dimes to save dollars, so that it can grow into large-scale projects like the tele-health network or a telecommunications backbone that enables distance-learning, information sharing and real-time medical diagnoses. The issues of the day present challenges we will have to meet head-on.

Yet I am hopeful. This was a session of firsts. First bills passed and signed, first bills vetoed and overridden. This was a collegial, productive, successful session of firsts. It will not be our last. Thank you for all of your hard work.