34%
Nebraskans who recently moved to another state said housing was the primary reason. In a federal survey in 2022, 34% of those Nebraskans who moved cited housing compared to 18% who noted family reasons and 12% who mentioned their job. Those numbers were sharply different from 2021, when those who moved cited family reasons and their job over housing issues.
Housing is expected to be a topic of discussion in the upcoming legislative session after Gov. Jim Pillen vetoed a $40 million investment in affordable housing last year. A report by the Center for Public Affairs Research noted the dearth of available housing and especially quality homes across the state. On average, only 2% of housing units are for sale or rent in Nebraska, equating to what is typically sold in a single month. Only three other states have available housing inventories of less than two months.
Read more from the Nebraska Examiner
Read the Center for Public Affairs Research report
91,861
In a review of a 2023 report on student achievement, access and competitive effects of school privatization measures across the country, the National Education Policy Center notes “flawed methods” in evidence that so-called school choice programs work. In his review, Professor Christopher Lubienski of Indiana University found that tallying up counts of varied research studies, as presented to summarize the effects of school choice programs, is essentially comparing apples to oranges. Lubienski also said less-favorable research was excluded or downplayed in the EdChoice report.
Supporters of LB 753, the bill creating state tax credits for donations to organizations granting private school scholarships in Nebraska, often cite EdChoice research on similar programs across the country. This week, election officials in Nebraska said they had verified 91,861 signatures, 50% more than were needed to put LB 753 on the November 2024 ballot. The referendum campaign met the required signature threshold in 64 of the state’s 93 counties.
Read review of EdChoice report from National Education Policy Center
Read more from OpenSky on LB 753 and tracking student achievement
42 for every 100
Growth in Nebraska “is going to hit the wall” without an influx of new workers, writes Zoe Olson, executive director of the Nebraska Hospitality Association, in a commentary published by the Nebraska Examiner. There were only 42 workers available for every 100 open jobs in Nebraska, where the workforce shortage ranks among the “most severe” in the country. The national average, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is 76 workers for every 100 open jobs.
At OpenSky’s Fall Policy Symposium on Oct. 24, a panel will discuss the demographic and economic trends driving Nebraska’s workforce challenges and analyze policy innovations in other states in considering how new Americans and their advocates can partner with policymakers to grow Nebraska’s economy together. Registration closes Monday. Tickets are $25.
Read commentary from the Nebraska Hospitality Association
Read more about OpenSky’s Fall Policy Symposium
344
CEO pay may have dipped slightly in 2022, but leaders of the largest firms in the U.S. were still paid an average of 344 times as much as a typical worker. In its recent report, the Economic Policy Institute said top CEO compensation rose 1,209% from 1978 to 2022, compared to a 15.3% increase for a typical worker. The Economic Policy Institute suggests implementing higher marginal income tax rates for top earners to help reduce the incentive for executives to push for such high pay.