Gov. Jim Pillen is off to a fast start with legislative bills teed up and pending that would reduce taxes, corral state spending, dramatically reform state school aid, protect water rights and implement a conservative policy agenda.
Most of that agenda already is positioned in committees with friendly majorities for advancement to the floor of the Legislature.
“It’s a very bold agenda, very conservative,†Kenny Zoeller says.
The goal, he said, is to “grow our economy and keep our kids here.â€
“We’ve been talking about this for almost two years now,†Zoeller said. “And a clear mandate to do it was given in November†by Nebraska voters who overwhelmingly elected Pillen.
“Now we need to get it done quickly,†Zoeller said. “It’s incumbent on us and our (legislative) partners.â€
Pillen, he said, “has been going full-speed†since his election, committed to enacting his agenda.
And Zoeller has been there from the beginning, directing the campaign that led to an overwhelming victory last November. Now he is director of the governor’s policy research office, where he is the key gubernatorial contact with state senators, appointed by Pillen to fill that critical role.
Pillen compiled a 156,328-vote margin over Democratic nominee Carol Blood following a tough, expensive and often bitter battle with Charles Herbster for the Republican nomination in May.
Not even Donald Trump, who flew into Nebraska in the closing days of the primary campaign to endorse Herbster at a rally near Greenwood, could stem the Pillen tide.
And then in the general election came victory in 91 of 93 counties, all but Douglas and Lancaster, as Pillen swept the state outside of Omaha and Lincoln.
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Zoeller is the gubernatorial aide in charge of making the case for Pillen’s legislative agenda with state senators, the guy who deals directly with them, one on one.
That role turns the Capitol Rotunda into his second office.
It’s where he and senators can make immediate contact while the Legislature is in session and debating legislation that may directly impact the governor’s agenda. You will find Zoeller standing there along with lobbyists below the artistic seven-story dome.
But Zoeller, 31, also has other priorities on his mind now. He and his wife, Ellen, welcomed their first child, Benjamin, on Friday.
“I will get to work on things that affect his future,†Zoeller says.
Most of the Pillen agenda is ready to go, although some of the legislation may still require some fine-tuning before it moves to the floor for debate.
Pillen has collaborated closely with key senators on legislation, including Revenue Committee Chairwoman Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, whose committee is shaping a major tax reduction package.
Perhaps the most dramatic change the new governor has proposed is restructuring the program of state aid to schools in a manner that spreads new assistance to schools throughout rural Nebraska.
The rallying cry has been “investing in every kid†and leaving not a single one of them behind.
Zoeller describes the governor as “a normal guy without a tie†who is “very committed to building relationships†with senators now as he attempts to turn his aggressive legislative agenda into action.
“He wants to make sure it’s a team effort,†Zoeller said. “He views this as a partnership in working with the Legislature. Every senator has a part to play.â€
And speaking of teams, the governor isn’t the only former college football player in this story.
Pillen was a highly decorated defensive back for Nebraska most celebrated for a key fumble recovery that preserved a 1978 upset of top-ranked Oklahoma in a game in Lincoln that is a lasting part of Husker lore now; Zoeller was a kicker for Concordia who nailed 15 of 20 field-goal attempts his senior year.