State Legislator of the Month – NE Senator Julie Slama
Thank you, Sen. Julie Slama
For this month, we are pleased to announce Nebraska Senator Julie Slama as the September State Legislator of the Month. This award is used to highlight substantive state policy successes by State Legislators – bringing their local story to a national platform. The award is highlighted by a partnership of liberty-loving organizations: FreedomWorks, Turning Point USA and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). This partnership is second to none in highlighting the tireless work of state legislators.
When Senator Slama was elected in 2019, she became the youngest female state senator in Nebraska history. Since then, she has advocated for the principles of individual liberty and free enterprise in the state’s unicameral legislature. Two bipartisan pieces of legislation stand out – both sponsored by Slama and both signed into law by Governor Ricketts in 2019. The first protected crime victims by increasing the statute of limitations for certain sexual offenses, human trafficking and child abuse. The second standout piece of legislation modernized civic education statutes “to ensure that students in Nebraska are given opportunity to become competent, responsible, patriotic and civil citizens.” It was the first revision to Nebraska’s civic education statutes since 1949, and is a topic ALEC has been on the forefront of discussing for years.
Senator Slama didn’t lose momentum there. At the end of the 2020 session, she co-sponsored legislation that exempted 50% of military retired pay from Nebraska income tax, and last month she co-sponsored a property tax reform bill, which was passed and signed into law in August. This bipartisan effort represented the first major property tax reform in Nebraska since 2007. According to the 13th edition of Rich States, Poor States, Nebraska ranks 41st for property tax burden, and there is much room for improvement. Nebraskans will certainly benefit from Senator Slama’s continued efforts to increase state economic competitiveness.
Thank you, Senator Slama, for protecting individual liberty and free enterprise in the states. Congratulations on being the newest State Legislator of the Month.