<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1738163034654.png" alt="Kennedy spoke with Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, a member of the Senate Finance committee, moments before the hearing started-image courtesy CSPAN&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Kennedy spoke with Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, a member of the Senate Finance committee, moments before the hearing started-image courtesy CSPAN&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">WATCH: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. complete opening statement at Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing. <a href="https://t.co/FE0svVjixs">pic.twitter.com/FE0svVjixs</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1884628422279721203?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">A protester interrupts Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. during his opening statement, as he addresses his views on vaccines. He says, &quot;I am not anti-vaccine.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/h5UliMeP1I">pic.twitter.com/h5UliMeP1I</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1884624753744347323?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.: &quot;I don&#39;t want to take food away from anybody. If you like a McDonald&#39;s cheeseburger, a Diet Coke -- which my boss loves -- you should be able to get them.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/MC7cZUkkF1">pic.twitter.com/MC7cZUkkF1</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1884626398230253810?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">&quot;Are you lying to Congress today when you say you are pro-vaccine or did you lie on all those podcasts?&quot; Watch exchange between Sen. <a href="https://twitter.com/RonWyden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RonWyden</a> and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on vaccines. <a href="https://t.co/4jYWaWUuzL">pic.twitter.com/4jYWaWUuzL</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1884628588785254722?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. &quot;I support the measles vaccine. I support the polio vaccine. I will do nothing as HHS secretary that makes it difficult or discourages people from taking either of those vaccines.&quot; Sen. <a href="https://twitter.com/RonWyden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RonWyden</a>: &quot;Anybody who believes that ought to look at the measles… <a href="https://t.co/NqMxcr1ep0">pic.twitter.com/NqMxcr1ep0</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1884631127950037297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorBennet?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenatorBennet</a> to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.: &quot;Unlike other jobs were confirming around this place, this is a job where it is life and death...it&#39;s too important for the games that you&#39;re playing Mr. Kennedy.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/VQZlA26o2V">pic.twitter.com/VQZlA26o2V</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1884639007289507891?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.: &quot;I agree with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/OPrRNEq1FP">pic.twitter.com/OPrRNEq1FP</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1884643434792652848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorHassan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenatorHassan</a> asks Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.: &quot;When was it that you decided to sell out the values you&#39;ve had your whole life in order to be given power by President Trump?&quot; <a href="https://t.co/nNBzzaB9Xv">pic.twitter.com/nNBzzaB9Xv</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1884643823499788405?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorHassan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenatorHassan</a> asks Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.: &quot;When was it that you decided to sell out the values you&#39;ve had your whole life in order to be given power by President Trump?&quot; <a href="https://t.co/nNBzzaB9Xv">pic.twitter.com/nNBzzaB9Xv</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1884643823499788405?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Highlights of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s confirmation hearing 

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/01/28/chief-justice-funkes-first-state-of-the-judiciary-lauds-probation-services-calls-for-more-funds/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN —&nbsp;In his first annual address to lawmakers Tuesday, Nebraska’s new Supreme Court chief justice called for more funding for court areas such as language interpreters, cybersecurity, veterans’ courts and an “archaic” case document filing and management system.

Chief Justice<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/25/justice-jeffrey-funke-chosen-as-nebraskas-next-chief-justice-after-justice-heavican-retires/">&nbsp;Jeffrey Funke,</a>&nbsp;in his “State of the Judiciary” address, praised several parts of the state court system, saying its probation services for adults and juveniles are considered national models.

Yet, he said, that Nebraska continues to have some of the nation’s most crowded prisons and, despite a drop in the state’s crime rate, rates of incarceration have increased.&nbsp;

Successes of the Judicial Branch are impaired, Funke said, by funding holes in integral areas including the “JUSTICE” system that manages cases for judges, attorneys, staff and the public.

Reflecting back, he noted that the system was implemented in 1994 — “the same year Ben Nelson was Nebraska’s governor and the Cornhuskers won a national championship in football.”

Said Funke: “We can no longer operate in the past.”

The Nebraska City native, elevated to the post in October, called for financial support from the Legislature to augment a $1.7 million grant aimed at creating “JUSTICE 2.0.” He said modernization will enable judges, attorneys, court staff and the public to navigate cases more efficiently.

We have done what you have asked. It is essential that the Judicial Branch receive adequate funding for the next biennium to sustain the progress we have made.

Another concern underscored in the half-hour talk to the public and state senators in the Legislative Chambers: insufficient behavioral health services — an area Funke said must be prioritized.

While largely outside the direct purview of the judicial system, mental health challenges lead many Nebraskans into crime and abuse and neglect of children, Funke said.

“The lack of treatment options means that our citizens are not getting the care they need, which reduces their chances of stability and recovery,” he said.

Last year, more than 6,000 people participated in financial assistance programs for behavioral health services under probation services. Still, Funke said, health organizations report a significant shortage of available providers. He said reimbursement rates are not keeping pace with the costs of delivering services.

As a result, options are limited for judges at sentencing times and for officials leading probation services, problem-solving courts and post-release supervision.

Another top need Funke addressed is salaries so the Judicial Branch can retain and compete for talent. He said the high court sought funds from the Legislature in 2023 to raise pay for interpreters, to add an adult drug court for Platte County, a veterans’ treatment court in Sarpy County and three additional IT staff members for cybersecurity and cloud-based IT management.

While the Legislature supported those efforts by increasing personnel spending limits, it did not direct any new funds. Funke said existing dollars soon will be exhausted.

“We have done what you have asked,” said Funke, joined in the chambers by fellow members of the State Supreme Court. “It is essential that the Judicial Branch receive adequate funding for the next biennium to sustain the progress we have made.”

Organizations including the civil rights organization, ACLU Nebraska, weighed in. Legal director Rose Godinez said she heard from Funke a “keen understanding of the importance of strengthening diversion and reentry programs to achieve better outcomes for us all.”

“His acknowledgment of Nebraska’s costly overcrowded prisons, his support for growing problem-solving courts, and his commitment to access to justice — including language access — were all on target,” Godinez said. “We look forward to continued partnerships with the judicial branch to help advance our shared goals.”

Giving the annual address may be new to Funke, appointed by Gov. Jim Pillen to replace former Chief Justice Mike Heavican of Lincoln, who retired in October after having been the<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/pdf/bluebook/bluebook_2022.pdf" target="_blank">&nbsp;second-longest</a>&nbsp;serving Chief Justice, at 18 years.&nbsp;

But Funke, appointed as an associate justice in 2016, said he is familiar with the “excellent work” of judicial branch staff to help ensure that Nebraskans have a forum to resolve disputes.

He said the core functions of courts have been expanded over the years, with new and innovative ways to administer justice, sometimes increasing public safety and saving taxpayer dollars.

In the area of Adult Probation, the Chief Justice noted 2014 and 2021 criminal justice reform efforts aimed at reducing high costs of incarceration and diverting less serious felons from prison to probation.

Today, he said, adult probation officers supervise more than 14,000 people across Nebraska, and the recidivism rate for those successfully completing probation “is an exceptional 19%.” That’s the percentage that relapsed into crime within three years of release.

In June, the Supreme Court approved the first-ever strategic plan for adult probation services. Funke said a goal is to ensure that Nebraska probation remains a “national model” of sentencing alternatives for courts.

The average cost to imprison a person in Nebraska Is $41,000 per year, he said, compared to $3,500 per person annually for probation.

Post-release supervision&nbsp;came about after the 2014 justice reforms showed that Nebraska’s felony sentencing system failed to provide adequate supervision upon an individual’s release from prison. On a daily average, 1,300 individuals are supervised under the program and must comply with court-ordered conditions including maintaining a job, participating in behavioral health services and keeping away from crime.

Less than 10% of those under post-release supervision returned to prison due to a probation revocation — a sign, Funke said, that the program has prevented crime.

Nebraska’s&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/10/04/problem-solving-courts-broadly-popular-but-how-to-expand-them-remains-unclear/">problem-solving courts</a>&nbsp;provide highly supervised treatment for military veterans and those battling substance abuse and mental illness. Participation is at nearly 800 people, and Funke has called for additional resources to serve more Nebraskans.

He said the recidivism rate for those who successfully graduate from a problem-solving court is 24%. Today, adult drug courts are in every judicial district. Trial court judges have implemented four veterans treatment courts, two reentry courts, one young adult court, a mental health court and a DUI court. Juvenile court judges have implemented two family treatment courts and a juvenile drug court. Nebraska judges volunteer to preside over the labor-intensive courts.

Juvenile Probation,&nbsp;on any given day, serves nearly 2,700 youths. Funke described the program as a “nationwide leader” with an all-time low of 17% of the youths returning to crime after a year of completing the program.

However, he said, juveniles who commit violent crime remain a priority focus.&nbsp;

“Though this population comprises only 3% of the total juveniles on probation, it requires our full attention,” he said, noting a new effort with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to better transition young offenders back into communities.&nbsp;

As part of an effort to improve “access to justice,”&nbsp;Nebraska developed a pilot project in Douglas County to help self-represented litigants file and process documents in their cases. The goal, Funke said, is to expand statewide, especially in rural areas and for low-income court users.

He said the state also began collaborating with foreign consulates to produce videos in languages beyond English to detail court processes and the role of interpreters.

The court system expanded services for those with hearing loss, and nearly every courtroom in the state is equipped with infrared assistive listening devices at no expense to county governments.

“Regarding remote access, our trial court judges have made significant strides in using technology to enable communication, document sharing and teamwork between courthouses,” Funke said.&nbsp;

He said technology advancements have opened virtual courtrooms and allowed remote hearings that reduce travel and enhance scheduling flexibility.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1738170410762.jpeg" alt="Chief Justice Jeffrey Funke greets state lawmakers after his first annual State of the Judiciary address. Jan. 28, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Chief Justice Jeffrey Funke greets state lawmakers after his first annual State of the Judiciary address. Jan. 28, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Cindy Gonzalez<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/01/28/chief-justice-funkes-first-state-of-the-judiciary-lauds-probation-services-calls-for-more-funds/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN —&nbsp;In his first annual address to lawmakers Tuesday, Nebraska’s new Supreme Court chief justice called for more funding for court areas such as language interpreters, cybersecurity, veterans’ courts and an “archaic” case document filing and management system.Chief Justice<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/25/justice-jeffrey-funke-chosen-as-nebraskas-next-chief-justice-after-justice-heavican-retires/">&nbsp;Jeffrey Funke,</a>&nbsp;in his “State of the Judiciary” address, praised several parts of the state court system, saying its probation services for adults and juveniles are considered national models.Yet, he said, that Nebraska continues to have some of the nation’s most crowded prisons and, despite a drop in the state’s crime rate, rates of incarceration have increased.&nbsp;Successes of the Judicial Branch are impaired, Funke said, by funding holes in integral areas including the “JUSTICE” system that manages cases for judges, attorneys, staff and the public.Reflecting back, he noted that the system was implemented in 1994 — “the same year Ben Nelson was Nebraska’s governor and the Cornhuskers won a national championship in football.”Said Funke: “We can no longer operate in the past.”<h2>Behavioral health, a priority</h2>The Nebraska City native, elevated to the post in October, called for financial support from the Legislature to augment a $1.7 million grant aimed at creating “JUSTICE 2.0.” He said modernization will enable judges, attorneys, court staff and the public to navigate cases more efficiently.We have done what you have asked. It is essential that the Judicial Branch receive adequate funding for the next biennium to sustain the progress we have made.– Chief Justice Jeffrey FunkeAnother concern underscored in the half-hour talk to the public and state senators in the Legislative Chambers: insufficient behavioral health services — an area Funke said must be prioritized.While largely outside the direct purview of the judicial system, mental health challenges lead many Nebraskans into crime and abuse and neglect of children, Funke said.“The lack of treatment options means that our citizens are not getting the care they need, which reduces their chances of stability and recovery,” he said.Last year, more than 6,000 people participated in financial assistance programs for behavioral health services under probation services. Still, Funke said, health organizations report a significant shortage of available providers. He said reimbursement rates are not keeping pace with the costs of delivering services.As a result, options are limited for judges at sentencing times and for officials leading probation services, problem-solving courts and post-release supervision.Another top need Funke addressed is salaries so the Judicial Branch can retain and compete for talent. He said the high court sought funds from the Legislature in 2023 to raise pay for interpreters, to add an adult drug court for Platte County, a veterans’ treatment court in Sarpy County and three additional IT staff members for cybersecurity and cloud-based IT management.While the Legislature supported those efforts by increasing personnel spending limits, it did not direct any new funds. Funke said existing dollars soon will be exhausted.“We have done what you have asked,” said Funke, joined in the chambers by fellow members of the State Supreme Court. “It is essential that the Judicial Branch receive adequate funding for the next biennium to sustain the progress we have made.”<h2>Strong diversion, reentry efforts</h2>Organizations including the civil rights organization, ACLU Nebraska, weighed in. Legal director Rose Godinez said she heard from Funke a “keen understanding of the importance of strengthening diversion and reentry programs to achieve better outcomes for us all.”“His acknowledgment of Nebraska’s costly overcrowded prisons, his support for growing problem-solving courts, and his commitment to access to justice — including language access — were all on target,” Godinez said. “We look forward to continued partnerships with the judicial branch to help advance our shared goals.”Giving the annual address may be new to Funke, appointed by Gov. Jim Pillen to replace former Chief Justice Mike Heavican of Lincoln, who retired in October after having been the<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/pdf/bluebook/bluebook_2022.pdf" target="_blank">&nbsp;second-longest</a>&nbsp;serving Chief Justice, at 18 years.&nbsp;But Funke, appointed as an associate justice in 2016, said he is familiar with the “excellent work” of judicial branch staff to help ensure that Nebraskans have a forum to resolve disputes.He said the core functions of courts have been expanded over the years, with new and innovative ways to administer justice, sometimes increasing public safety and saving taxpayer dollars.“More work is to be done.”&nbsp;<h2>Highlights</h2>Other highlights of Funke’s speech:In the area of Adult Probation, the Chief Justice noted 2014 and 2021 criminal justice reform efforts aimed at reducing high costs of incarceration and diverting less serious felons from prison to probation.Today, he said, adult probation officers supervise more than 14,000 people across Nebraska, and the recidivism rate for those successfully completing probation “is an exceptional 19%.” That’s the percentage that relapsed into crime within three years of release.In June, the Supreme Court approved the first-ever strategic plan for adult probation services. Funke said a goal is to ensure that Nebraska probation remains a “national model” of sentencing alternatives for courts.The average cost to imprison a person in Nebraska Is $41,000 per year, he said, compared to $3,500 per person annually for probation.Post-release supervision&nbsp;came about after the 2014 justice reforms showed that Nebraska’s felony sentencing system failed to provide adequate supervision upon an individual’s release from prison. On a daily average, 1,300 individuals are supervised under the program and must comply with court-ordered conditions including maintaining a job, participating in behavioral health services and keeping away from crime.Less than 10% of those under post-release supervision returned to prison due to a probation revocation — a sign, Funke said, that the program has prevented crime.Nebraska’s&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/10/04/problem-solving-courts-broadly-popular-but-how-to-expand-them-remains-unclear/">problem-solving courts</a>&nbsp;provide highly supervised treatment for military veterans and those battling substance abuse and mental illness. Participation is at nearly 800 people, and Funke has called for additional resources to serve more Nebraskans.He said the recidivism rate for those who successfully graduate from a problem-solving court is 24%. Today, adult drug courts are in every judicial district. Trial court judges have implemented four veterans treatment courts, two reentry courts, one young adult court, a mental health court and a DUI court. Juvenile court judges have implemented two family treatment courts and a juvenile drug court. Nebraska judges volunteer to preside over the labor-intensive courts.Juvenile Probation,&nbsp;on any given day, serves nearly 2,700 youths. Funke described the program as a “nationwide leader” with an all-time low of 17% of the youths returning to crime after a year of completing the program.However, he said, juveniles who commit violent crime remain a priority focus.&nbsp;“Though this population comprises only 3% of the total juveniles on probation, it requires our full attention,” he said, noting a new effort with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to better transition young offenders back into communities.&nbsp;As part of an effort to improve “access to justice,”&nbsp;Nebraska developed a pilot project in Douglas County to help self-represented litigants file and process documents in their cases. The goal, Funke said, is to expand statewide, especially in rural areas and for low-income court users.He said the state also began collaborating with foreign consulates to produce videos in languages beyond English to detail court processes and the role of interpreters.The court system expanded services for those with hearing loss, and nearly every courtroom in the state is equipped with infrared assistive listening devices at no expense to county governments.“Regarding remote access, our trial court judges have made significant strides in using technology to enable communication, document sharing and teamwork between courthouses,” Funke said.&nbsp;He said technology advancements have opened virtual courtrooms and allowed remote hearings that reduce travel and enhance scheduling flexibility.

Chief Justice Funke’s first ‘State of the Judiciary’ lauds probation services, calls for more funds

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/01/28/nsea-lawmakers-outline-2025-priorities-after-survey-of-nearly-10000-nebraska-teachers/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN —&nbsp;The Nebraska State Education Association sought to rally support Tuesday for a package of legislation designed after a survey of nearly 10,000 teachers statewide.

Tim Royers, president of the state teacher’s union, joined with seven lawmakers to unveil the top 2025 priorities for the NSEA. The proposals generally seek to increase state support for teachers, such as retention bonuses, stipends for student teachers, reimbursements for school supplies and paid family and medical leave.

“One of the things that we know in Nebraska is that without our teachers, Nebraska has no future,” State Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Omaha said at a morning news conference.

The eight bills presented Tuesday were introduced by State Sens. Margo Juarez of Omaha, Jason Prokop of Lincoln, George Dungan of Lincoln, Ashlei Spivey of Omaha and Danielle Conrad of Lincoln. All are Democrats in the officially nonpartisan Legislature.

Royers said the legislation is part of NSEA’s goal to ensure all Nebraska children get to receive a great public education, which he said often depends on highly qualified teachers.

In the fall, the NSEA received written comments from thousands of teachers, whose feedback ranged from workplace conditions to compensation and teachers’ plans for the future.

Royers said only 8% of respondents reported feeling that the Legislature takes them into account when crafting education policy, and about 11% said the state currently incentivizes them to stay in the profession.

More than a quarter of educators, Royers continued, are unsure if they want to continue teaching after this school year “unless something meaningfully changes.”

“Candidly, educators don’t really feel like they have folks in their corner right now,” Royers said.

One of the “boldest” 2025 ideas, Royers said, comes from Spivey’s&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59667" target="_blank">Legislative Bill 440</a>. It would establish an additional 0.35% payroll tax on teachers, matched by local school districts, to offer teachers six weeks of paid family and medical leave by funding long-term substitute teachers.

For a teacher making $60,000, that would amount to a monthly fee of $17.50.

“For less than $20 a month out of a teacher’s paycheck, they would get access to a profound benefit,” Royers said.

The focus of the Spivey legislation started on young women in teaching sometimes being forced to leave the profession after taking one or two months of unpaid leave because they had a child early in their career.

But the NSEA began to see other needs, too, Royers said, such as teachers who faced cancer diagnoses or teachers who waited seven years to even attempt having kids, trying to save up enough days off “so they wouldn’t take that hit.”

“No person should have to make family decisions based on when their paid leave is sufficient for them to do that,” Royers said.

Juarez, a former school board member for Omaha Public Schools and former paraeducator, is seeking to create retention bonuses for paraeducators through&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59701" target="_blank">LB 524</a>, $1,000 for a para working an average of 28 hours per week, or proportional for a paraeducator working less.

Her&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59700" target="_blank">LB 523</a>&nbsp;would establish a statewide student teacher stipend program, paying them $4,000 per teaching semester.

Juarez said the underpaid and unpaid labor that teachers are expected to offer when training for the job is “extreme,” which begins with student teaching.

Quality educators, she said, are sometimes turned away because the financial burden.

Another Juarez bill,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59290" target="_blank">LB 161</a>, would increase how much the state pays school districts for full-time early childhood students. The bill does not yet have a cost estimate from the Legislature.

Currently, all school districts get about $1,500 in state aid for each K-12 student, but districts receive roughly 60% of that amount, or $900, for each early childhood student. Juarez’s bill would raise that to 100% for the foundation aid.

“Education is more likely for early childhood students to earn higher wages later on, live healthier lives and avoid incarceration, raise strong families and contribute to society,” Juarez said.

Prokop’s&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59521" target="_blank">LB 282</a>&nbsp;would similarly seek to support teachers who “pour their hearts and souls” into their classrooms and students as well as their wallets, with one study indicating teachers annually pay average out-of-pocket costs on school supplies of about $860.

His bill would establish up to $300 in reimbursements through the State Board of Education for qualified teaching supplies.&nbsp;If all of Nebraska’s approximate 27,000 teachers applied for the reimbursement, the Nebraska Department of Education estimates it would cost $8.1 million annually.

The Legislature’s fiscal office&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/109/PDF/FN/LB282_20250124-113559.pdf" target="_blank">estimated that 60% of teachers</a>&nbsp;might use the funds, which would also gain $300,000 to $400,000 in additional state revenue through increased teacher income.

“While it’s about acknowledging that financial commitment they’ve made to the students, it’s really more about the acknowledgment that they just really care about their kids and the students that they are teaching,” Prokop said.

<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59493" target="_blank">LB 411</a>, from State Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln, would establish baseline retention grants for all teachers, beginning at $2,500 for teachers in years one through six of service and increasing to $4,000 for teachers in their 16th or later.

“One of the things that we know in Nebraska is that without our teachers, Nebraska has no future.”

– State Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Omaha

Excluding high-need retention grants, Dungan’s program could&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/01/21/all-nebraska-teachers-would-receive-retention-bonus-under-legislative-proposal/">annually cost</a>&nbsp;between $66 million (if all teachers were in their first to sixth year of teaching) and $106 million (if all teachers were in their 16th year of teaching or beyond).

If all teachers received one high-need retention grant before 2028, as allowed under the bill for certain subject area endorsements, that would cost an additional $132 million.

DeBoer’s&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59787" target="_blank">LB 598</a>&nbsp;would increase state funding for school districts that provide teachers at least 60 minutes of non-instructional planning time daily.&nbsp;

The bill would also allow school districts to apply for additional limited English proficiency program funding, based on need, and get additional funds based on the&nbsp;number of students with disabilities who are on Section 504 support plans.

The last bill,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59622" target="_blank">LB 589</a>, from State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, would allow school districts to be reimbursed for the costs of substitute teachers who cover special education teachers&nbsp;if they take a&nbsp;“paperwork day” to complete documentation, reporting and compliance requirements. The bill does not yet have a cost estimate from the Legislature. Four such days could be reimbursed annually.

“Making small changes like that, that don’t come with a big price tag to state taxpayers, can make a world of difference for the teachers and the children that they are serving,” Conrad said.

Conrad and Royers indicated the proposed legislation is in direct response to legislation that they said would undermine teachers’ ability to serve kids. That includes&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/01/28/nebraska-school-choice-supporters-opponents-ready-for-another-rematch/">continued efforts</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/31/families-urge-nebraskans-to-retain-state-support-to-private-schools/">divert state funds for private schools</a>, which Conrad described as a “slap in the face” to voters.

“Let’s be clear: We’re not content to just play defense when it comes to standing up for our schools and our kids and our teachers and our incredible public education system,” she said.

Royers said the NSEA will also partner with State Sens. Kathleen Kauth and John Fredrickson, both of Omaha, on studies that could inform possible future legislation around alternate certification pathways for high school teachers and for high behavioral needs care facilities.

A third planned interim study would examine how to improve higher education compensation.

Royers said even with a projected budget shortfall for the state, he and senators are confident they’ll find the support for proposals that are “perfectly in line” with the Education Future Fund that Gov. Jim Pillen carved out in 2023 to ensure continued state support for education.

“Some of these bills that you just heard about today aren’t going to get over the finish line this year,” Royers said. “It might take us a few tries, but I can tell you that by simply introducing all of these proposals, it’s already making a difference in how educators feel in this state.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1738167198147.jpeg" alt=" Tim Royers, president of the Nebraska State Education Association, leads a news conference highlighting 2025 priorities for teachers statewide. Jan. 28, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption> Tim Royers, president of the Nebraska State Education Association, leads a news conference highlighting 2025 priorities for teachers statewide. Jan. 28, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Zach Wendling<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/01/28/nsea-lawmakers-outline-2025-priorities-after-survey-of-nearly-10000-nebraska-teachers/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN —&nbsp;The Nebraska State Education Association sought to rally support Tuesday for a package of legislation designed after a survey of nearly 10,000 teachers statewide.Tim Royers, president of the state teacher’s union, joined with seven lawmakers to unveil the top 2025 priorities for the NSEA. The proposals generally seek to increase state support for teachers, such as retention bonuses, stipends for student teachers, reimbursements for school supplies and paid family and medical leave.“One of the things that we know in Nebraska is that without our teachers, Nebraska has no future,” State Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Omaha said at a morning news conference.The eight bills presented Tuesday were introduced by State Sens. Margo Juarez of Omaha, Jason Prokop of Lincoln, George Dungan of Lincoln, Ashlei Spivey of Omaha and Danielle Conrad of Lincoln. All are Democrats in the officially nonpartisan Legislature.<h2>Statewide teacher survey results</h2>Royers said the legislation is part of NSEA’s goal to ensure all Nebraska children get to receive a great public education, which he said often depends on highly qualified teachers.In the fall, the NSEA received written comments from thousands of teachers, whose feedback ranged from workplace conditions to compensation and teachers’ plans for the future.Royers said only 8% of respondents reported feeling that the Legislature takes them into account when crafting education policy, and about 11% said the state currently incentivizes them to stay in the profession.More than a quarter of educators, Royers continued, are unsure if they want to continue teaching after this school year “unless something meaningfully changes.”“Candidly, educators don’t really feel like they have folks in their corner right now,” Royers said.<h2>Paid family and medical leave</h2>One of the “boldest” 2025 ideas, Royers said, comes from Spivey’s&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59667" target="_blank">Legislative Bill 440</a>. It would establish an additional 0.35% payroll tax on teachers, matched by local school districts, to offer teachers six weeks of paid family and medical leave by funding long-term substitute teachers.For a teacher making $60,000, that would amount to a monthly fee of $17.50.“For less than $20 a month out of a teacher’s paycheck, they would get access to a profound benefit,” Royers said.The focus of the Spivey legislation started on young women in teaching sometimes being forced to leave the profession after taking one or two months of unpaid leave because they had a child early in their career.But the NSEA began to see other needs, too, Royers said, such as teachers who faced cancer diagnoses or teachers who waited seven years to even attempt having kids, trying to save up enough days off “so they wouldn’t take that hit.”“No person should have to make family decisions based on when their paid leave is sufficient for them to do that,” Royers said.<h2>Student teachers and paraeducators</h2>Juarez, a former school board member for Omaha Public Schools and former paraeducator, is seeking to create retention bonuses for paraeducators through&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59701" target="_blank">LB 524</a>, $1,000 for a para working an average of 28 hours per week, or proportional for a paraeducator working less.Her&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59700" target="_blank">LB 523</a>&nbsp;would establish a statewide student teacher stipend program, paying them $4,000 per teaching semester.Juarez said the underpaid and unpaid labor that teachers are expected to offer when training for the job is “extreme,” which begins with student teaching.Quality educators, she said, are sometimes turned away because the financial burden.Another Juarez bill,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59290" target="_blank">LB 161</a>, would increase how much the state pays school districts for full-time early childhood students. The bill does not yet have a cost estimate from the Legislature.Currently, all school districts get about $1,500 in state aid for each K-12 student, but districts receive roughly 60% of that amount, or $900, for each early childhood student. Juarez’s bill would raise that to 100% for the foundation aid.“Education is more likely for early childhood students to earn higher wages later on, live healthier lives and avoid incarceration, raise strong families and contribute to society,” Juarez said.<h2>Acknowledgement of teacher dedication</h2>Prokop’s&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59521" target="_blank">LB 282</a>&nbsp;would similarly seek to support teachers who “pour their hearts and souls” into their classrooms and students as well as their wallets, with one study indicating teachers annually pay average out-of-pocket costs on school supplies of about $860.His bill would establish up to $300 in reimbursements through the State Board of Education for qualified teaching supplies.&nbsp;If all of Nebraska’s approximate 27,000 teachers applied for the reimbursement, the Nebraska Department of Education estimates it would cost $8.1 million annually.The Legislature’s fiscal office&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/109/PDF/FN/LB282_20250124-113559.pdf" target="_blank">estimated that 60% of teachers</a>&nbsp;might use the funds, which would also gain $300,000 to $400,000 in additional state revenue through increased teacher income.“While it’s about acknowledging that financial commitment they’ve made to the students, it’s really more about the acknowledgment that they just really care about their kids and the students that they are teaching,” Prokop said.<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59493" target="_blank">LB 411</a>, from State Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln, would establish baseline retention grants for all teachers, beginning at $2,500 for teachers in years one through six of service and increasing to $4,000 for teachers in their 16th or later.“One of the things that we know in Nebraska is that without our teachers, Nebraska has no future.”– State Sen. Wendy DeBoer of OmahaExcluding high-need retention grants, Dungan’s program could&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/01/21/all-nebraska-teachers-would-receive-retention-bonus-under-legislative-proposal/">annually cost</a>&nbsp;between $66 million (if all teachers were in their first to sixth year of teaching) and $106 million (if all teachers were in their 16th year of teaching or beyond).If all teachers received one high-need retention grant before 2028, as allowed under the bill for certain subject area endorsements, that would cost an additional $132 million.<h2>‘A world of difference’</h2>DeBoer’s&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59787" target="_blank">LB 598</a>&nbsp;would increase state funding for school districts that provide teachers at least 60 minutes of non-instructional planning time daily.&nbsp;The bill would also allow school districts to apply for additional limited English proficiency program funding, based on need, and get additional funds based on the&nbsp;number of students with disabilities who are on Section 504 support plans.The last bill,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59622" target="_blank">LB 589</a>, from State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, would allow school districts to be reimbursed for the costs of substitute teachers who cover special education teachers&nbsp;if they take a&nbsp;“paperwork day” to complete documentation, reporting and compliance requirements. The bill does not yet have a cost estimate from the Legislature. Four such days could be reimbursed annually.“Making small changes like that, that don’t come with a big price tag to state taxpayers, can make a world of difference for the teachers and the children that they are serving,” Conrad said.Conrad and Royers indicated the proposed legislation is in direct response to legislation that they said would undermine teachers’ ability to serve kids. That includes&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/01/28/nebraska-school-choice-supporters-opponents-ready-for-another-rematch/">continued efforts</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/31/families-urge-nebraskans-to-retain-state-support-to-private-schools/">divert state funds for private schools</a>, which Conrad described as a “slap in the face” to voters.“Let’s be clear: We’re not content to just play defense when it comes to standing up for our schools and our kids and our teachers and our incredible public education system,” she said.<h2>‘Already making a difference’</h2>Royers said the NSEA will also partner with State Sens. Kathleen Kauth and John Fredrickson, both of Omaha, on studies that could inform possible future legislation around alternate certification pathways for high school teachers and for high behavioral needs care facilities.A third planned interim study would examine how to improve higher education compensation.Royers said even with a projected budget shortfall for the state, he and senators are confident they’ll find the support for proposals that are “perfectly in line” with the Education Future Fund that Gov. Jim Pillen carved out in 2023 to ensure continued state support for education.“Some of these bills that you just heard about today aren’t going to get over the finish line this year,” Royers said. “It might take us a few tries, but I can tell you that by simply introducing all of these proposals, it’s already making a difference in how educators feel in this state.”

NSEA, lawmakers outline 2025 priorities after survey of nearly 10,000 Nebraska teachers

(Kearney, Neb.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol, with assistance from the Kearney County Sheriff’s Office, apprehended a juvenile Monday night after a trooper clocked a vehicle traveling at over 160 miles per hour.

At approximately 9:50 p.m. Monday, a trooper observed a Chevrolet Corvette traveling at over 130 miles per hour on South 2nd&nbsp;Avenue in Kearney, near the I-80 interchange. The vehicle continued southbound on Highway 44 and the trooper attempted a traffic stop.

The driver of the Corvette refused to yield and accelerated. The trooper initiated a pursuit. During the pursuit, the suspect vehicle reached a speed of 168 miles per hour. The vehicle turned eastbound onto Highway 6 and continued fleeing. Before the vehicle reached Minden, another trooper successfully deployed stop sticks to slow the vehicle.

As the vehicle reached Minden, the driver turned off the vehicle’s lights, pulled onto a side street, and parked. It was quickly located by a Kearney County deputy and troopers arrived moments later. The driver was then taken into custody without further incident.

The driver, a 16-year-old male from Kearney, was cited for willful reckless driving, flight to avoid arrest, and speeding. The entire pursuit lasted approximately ten minutes and covered approximately 20 miles.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716320706146.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Cody ThomasNebraska State Patrol(Kearney, Neb.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol, with assistance from the Kearney County Sheriff’s Office, apprehended a juvenile Monday night after a trooper clocked a vehicle traveling at over 160 miles per hour.At approximately 9:50 p.m. Monday, a trooper observed a Chevrolet Corvette traveling at over 130 miles per hour on South 2nd&nbsp;Avenue in Kearney, near the I-80 interchange. The vehicle continued southbound on Highway 44 and the trooper attempted a traffic stop.The driver of the Corvette refused to yield and accelerated. The trooper initiated a pursuit. During the pursuit, the suspect vehicle reached a speed of 168 miles per hour. The vehicle turned eastbound onto Highway 6 and continued fleeing. Before the vehicle reached Minden, another trooper successfully deployed stop sticks to slow the vehicle.As the vehicle reached Minden, the driver turned off the vehicle’s lights, pulled onto a side street, and parked. It was quickly located by a Kearney County deputy and troopers arrived moments later. The driver was then taken into custody without further incident.The driver, a 16-year-old male from Kearney, was cited for willful reckless driving, flight to avoid arrest, and speeding. The entire pursuit lasted approximately ten minutes and covered approximately 20 miles.

16-Year-Old Apprehended After High-Speed Pursuit South of Kearney

Attorney General Mike Hilgers office

Attorney General Mike Hilgers announced that Nebraska has joined the United States, 37 other States, and Puerto Rico in settling kickback allegations against Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd., owned by pharmaceutical company Pfizer, Inc. Pfizer, on behalf of Biohaven, has agreed to pay more than $59 million to resolve allegations that Biohaven knowingly submitted or caused to be submitted false claims to the Medicaid program and other federal healthcare programs.

Biohaven was paying kickbacks to healthcare providers in the form of cash, lavish meals, and honoraria payments to induce them to prescribe Biohaven’s product, Nurtec ODT. Nurtec is a prescription medication for the treatment of migraine headaches. Nebraska will receive $62,688.71 in restitution and other recoveries as part of the settlement.

Biohaven paid kickbacks to providers to present at speaker programs to induce them to prescribe Nurtec for Medicaid and other federal healthcare beneficiaries. Biohaven paid some providers tens of thousands of dollars and, in some cases, more than a hundred thousand dollars for these speaker programs. In numerous instances, speaker programs were also attended by individuals such as the speaker’s spouse, family members, and friends, who had no educational need to attend. Also, certain providers attended multiple programs on the same topic and received expensive meals and drinks paid for by Biohaven but received no educational benefit from attending these programs.

The case against Biohaven was initiated by a whistleblower who was a former Biohaven employee and was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York.

The matter was investigated by a team from the National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Units in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice and the United States Attorney’s Office in New York.&nbsp;

Attorney General Mike Hilgers officeAttorney General Mike Hilgers announced that Nebraska has joined the United States, 37 other States, and Puerto Rico in settling kickback allegations against Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd., owned by pharmaceutical company Pfizer, Inc. Pfizer, on behalf of Biohaven, has agreed to pay more than $59 million to resolve allegations that Biohaven knowingly submitted or caused to be submitted false claims to the Medicaid program and other federal healthcare programs.Biohaven was paying kickbacks to healthcare providers in the form of cash, lavish meals, and honoraria payments to induce them to prescribe Biohaven’s product, Nurtec ODT. Nurtec is a prescription medication for the treatment of migraine headaches. Nebraska will receive $62,688.71 in restitution and other recoveries as part of the settlement.Biohaven paid kickbacks to providers to present at speaker programs to induce them to prescribe Nurtec for Medicaid and other federal healthcare beneficiaries. Biohaven paid some providers tens of thousands of dollars and, in some cases, more than a hundred thousand dollars for these speaker programs. In numerous instances, speaker programs were also attended by individuals such as the speaker’s spouse, family members, and friends, who had no educational need to attend. Also, certain providers attended multiple programs on the same topic and received expensive meals and drinks paid for by Biohaven but received no educational benefit from attending these programs.The case against Biohaven was initiated by a whistleblower who was a former Biohaven employee and was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York.The matter was investigated by a team from the National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Units in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice and the United States Attorney’s Office in New York.&nbsp;

Nebraska Joins in Settling Kickback Allegations against Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ariana-figueroa/">ARIANA FIGUEROA</a>

WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem Tuesday addressed some of her staff, promising to provide resources and support as the agency fulfills its duties, one of them carrying out President Donald Trump’s plan to deport masses of undocumented people.

Earlier in the day, Noem, the former governor of South Dakota, was in New York City, accompanying U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in arrests across the city.&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/Sec_Noem/status/1884264039158800547" target="_blank">In a video posted</a>&nbsp;to social media, Noem — clad in a vest labeled POLICE/ICE — said she was in the city “to get the dirt bags off our streets.”&nbsp;

The visit to New York followed a weekend of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/immigration-lawyers-decry-cutoff-legal-help-trump-administration-ramps-raids" target="_blank">highly publicized immigration enforcement,</a>&nbsp;where ICE officials announced they arrested nearly 1,000 people in the country without legal authorization. However, an arrest does not mean an immigrant has been detained or in deportation proceedings and ICE has not specified details of those arrests.

Before Noem addressed DHS workforce, as she walked up to the lectern, the song “Hot Mama” by country singer&nbsp;Trace Adkins, played in the background, with the chorus “One hot mama, you turn me on, let’s turn it up and turn this room into a sauna.”

It was reminiscent of a March 2024 appearance by Noem with Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://southdakotasearchlight.com/briefs/trump-calls-noem-to-podium-comments-on-her-appearance-at-ohio-rally/" target="_blank">at an Ohio campaign rally&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;at which he called her “a very special woman who’s&nbsp;hot as a politician” and “beautiful.” Noem at the time was considered a potential running mate for Trump, who later chose J.D. Vance, then a Republican senator from Ohio.

Noem told staff that she aims to provide them the resources to carry out their mission and that her vision for the agency stems from a story from her childhood.

When she was 10, building a fence with her dad, he asked her for a tool that was in the truck. When she ran to the truck to get it for him, he told her, “You should know what I need, before I know what I need.”

“What he was doing was teaching us to think ahead,” she said. “That is what our job is as well here at the Department of Homeland Security. We prepare ahead and think three steps ahead so that people have what they need before they need it.”

Noem,&nbsp;<a href="https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2025/01/25/south-dakota-gov-kristi-noem-confirmed-as-u-s-homeland-security-secretary/" target="_blank">whom the U.S. Senate confirmed on Saturday</a>, will lead&nbsp;one of the federal government’s largest departments, with a staff of roughly 260,000 employees and a budget around $100 billion.

DHS responsibilities include border protection, disaster response, global threats, cyber and airline security and the U.S. Secret Service, among other duties.

In her address, Noem added that she specifically asked Trump to lead DHS because it is the president’s “number one priority.”

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ariana-figueroa/">ARIANA FIGUEROA</a>WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem Tuesday addressed some of her staff, promising to provide resources and support as the agency fulfills its duties, one of them carrying out President Donald Trump’s plan to deport masses of undocumented people.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">7 AM in NYC. Getting the dirt bags off the streets. <a href="https://t.co/AlDD819K89">pic.twitter.com/AlDD819K89</a>&mdash; Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sec_Noem/status/1884264039158800547?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Earlier in the day, Noem, the former governor of South Dakota, was in New York City, accompanying U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in arrests across the city.&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/Sec_Noem/status/1884264039158800547" target="_blank">In a video posted</a>&nbsp;to social media, Noem — clad in a vest labeled POLICE/ICE — said she was in the city “to get the dirt bags off our streets.”&nbsp;The visit to New York followed a weekend of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/immigration-lawyers-decry-cutoff-legal-help-trump-administration-ramps-raids" target="_blank">highly publicized immigration enforcement,</a>&nbsp;where ICE officials announced they arrested nearly 1,000 people in the country without legal authorization. However, an arrest does not mean an immigrant has been detained or in deportation proceedings and ICE has not specified details of those arrests.Before Noem addressed DHS workforce, as she walked up to the lectern, the song “Hot Mama” by country singer&nbsp;Trace Adkins, played in the background, with the chorus “One hot mama, you turn me on, let’s turn it up and turn this room into a sauna.”It was reminiscent of a March 2024 appearance by Noem with Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://southdakotasearchlight.com/briefs/trump-calls-noem-to-podium-comments-on-her-appearance-at-ohio-rally/" target="_blank">at an Ohio campaign rally&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;at which he called her “a very special woman who’s&nbsp;hot as a politician” and “beautiful.” Noem at the time was considered a potential running mate for Trump, who later chose J.D. Vance, then a Republican senator from Ohio.Noem told staff that she aims to provide them the resources to carry out their mission and that her vision for the agency stems from a story from her childhood.When she was 10, building a fence with her dad, he asked her for a tool that was in the truck. When she ran to the truck to get it for him, he told her, “You should know what I need, before I know what I need.”“What he was doing was teaching us to think ahead,” she said. “That is what our job is as well here at the Department of Homeland Security. We prepare ahead and think three steps ahead so that people have what they need before they need it.”Noem,&nbsp;<a href="https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2025/01/25/south-dakota-gov-kristi-noem-confirmed-as-u-s-homeland-security-secretary/" target="_blank">whom the U.S. Senate confirmed on Saturday</a>, will lead&nbsp;one of the federal government’s largest departments, with a staff of roughly 260,000 employees and a budget around $100 billion.DHS responsibilities include border protection, disaster response, global threats, cyber and airline security and the U.S. Secret Service, among other duties.In her address, Noem added that she specifically asked Trump to lead DHS because it is the president’s “number one priority.”

Noem labels illegal immigrants as ‘dirt bags,’ pledges support to Homeland Security staff

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/01/28/nebraska-school-choice-supporters-opponents-ready-for-another-rematch/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN —&nbsp;Advocates and opponents of school choice programs in Nebraska, including one that voters rejected in November, are gearing up for another legislative session featuring efforts to revive the policies.

Lawmakers supporting those programs introduced proposals this month with an end goal of helping students attend private K-12 schools in the state. Two bills would revive the laws&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/pillen-approves-nebraskas-newest-school-choice-law-as-opponents-weigh-next-steps/">passed, repealed, replaced and then repealed by voters</a>&nbsp;in just the past two years.&nbsp;

The latest version in law,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=55486" target="_blank">Legislative Bill 1402</a>, was&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/11/05/nebraska-voters-reject-state-funding-for-students-attending-private-k-12-schools/">repealed by 57% of voters</a>&nbsp;in November —&nbsp;in 45 of Nebraska’s 49 legislative districts, 82 of its 93 counties and all three congressional districts.

“I’m not dissuaded by the fact that it was defeated at the ballot box,” said freshman State Sen. Tony Sorrentino of Omaha, one of many lawmakers with school choice proposals in 2025. “There’s been a number of cases that lost at the ballot box and were reinstated, so let’s hope for that.”

The effort to revive&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=50326" target="_blank">LB 753</a>&nbsp;and its one-for-one tax break to fund “opportunity scholarships” will return to the Revenue Committee, while the effort to revive LB 1402 and its state-funded vouchers or “education scholarships” will return to the Appropriations Committee.

Two new proposals will go to the Health and Human Services and Education Committees. The first would create and narrow a voucher or scholarship program for private education to youths in foster care. The other would pay families whose K-12 “option enrollment” application to a different public school district is rejected.

Tim Royers is president of the Nebraska State Education Association, which led successive repeal efforts against the state-funded version of the law in 2024, and successfully placed the tax credit version on the ballot before lawmakers replaced that program.

Royers said he and others are disappointed that senators, no matter their approach, are “choosing to ignore the very clear message that voters set in November on this issue.”

“We’re really looking for our leaders in Lincoln to be championing legislation that’s going to tackle the real issues surrounding education and not trying to relitigate something that has already been resolved at the polls,” Royers said.

Royers said the focus should be on getting friendly, pro-public education legislation over the finish line, such as those to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/01/21/all-nebraska-teachers-would-receive-retention-bonus-under-legislative-proposal/#:~:text=By%3A%20Zach%20Wendling%20%2D%20January%2021%2C%202025%205%3A00%20am&amp;text=LINCOLN%20%E2%80%94%20All%20Nebraska%20teachers%20could,and%20retain%20teachers%20through%202028.">tackle teaching vacancies statewide</a>. He’s confident school choice efforts will be stopped before a major vote this year.

But if needed, Royers said, opponents are ready for a school choice rematch, even if they have to “make it an annual summer habit” to get signatures to repeal the laws.

“We joke about it, but in all seriousness, we will out-resolve them on this issue,” Royers said. “We will be more tenacious than them. We will have more resources and more commitment than them on this. If they don’t get that point, yes, we will absolutely put this in front of the voters again so that way they can reject vouchers for the fifth time in the state’s history if necessary.”

Sorrentino is the Elkhorn-area successor to former State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, who championed the previous voucher and tax-credit laws in 2023 and 2024 after years of trying. Sorrentino’s&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59783" target="_blank">LB 509</a>&nbsp;would nearly word-for-word reinstate Linehan’s 2023 tax-credit law: the Opportunity Scholarships Act.

He said that law “didn’t get the proper time” before lawmakers repealed in October, a strategic move as part of LB 1402 by Linehan partly to stop a certified ballot measure seeking to repeal the law. When her replacement scholarship or voucher law made it to the ballot in November, nearly 55% of voters in their Legislative District 39 rejected it.

Sorrentino, a tax practitioner, noted the Opportunity Scholarships Act had raised nearly $10 million of the $25 million it could have raised in its first year. The program could grow over time to $100 million annually, if there is high demand.&nbsp;

Under the Opportunity Scholarships Act, Nebraskans could donate to scholarship-granting organizations for a one-to-one tax credit. Donations from 2024 are still tax deductible, even with the law being repealed.

He said the “beauty” of the bill is supporting children in their formative years, when their values are set.

“I just don’t think you can put a round peg in a square hole when it comes to education,” Sorrentino said. “Education needs to meet the needs of children, not to meet the needs of organizations or opponents to this.”

Of the four legislative districts that voted to retain LB 1402, the state-funded scholarship program in the State Treasurer’s Office, in November, one of the representatives is seeking to revive the program: State Sen. Rob Dover of Norfolk.

The other three districts that voted to retain the law are represented by State Sens. Brian Hardin of Gering, Terrell McKinney of Omaha and Mike Moser of Columbus.

<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59768" target="_blank">LB 624</a>, from Dover, would revive LB 1402, but his version is one page compared to the repealed section of LB 1402, which was five pages.

Part of his effort is to explicitly define the annual $10 million program as an appropriation, which some have argued can’t&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/articles.php?article=III-3" target="_blank">constitutionally be subject to a referendum</a>. The Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that the more expansive LB 1402 version&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/13/nebraska-supreme-court-lets-voters-decide-fate-of-school-choice-law/">was subject to referendum</a>&nbsp;because it wasn’t a direct appropriation.

Dover said his structure is similar to the&nbsp;<a href="https://opportunity.nebraska.gov/gov-pillen-announces-read-nebraska-grant-recipients/" target="_blank">READ Nebraska grant program</a>&nbsp;established in 2023 to boost mentorship, at the request of Gov. Jim Pillen. That program was created through the annual state budget, not an individual bill. Dover is a member of the Appropriations Committee.

“I think we should let the kids go where they need to go, where they’re the most happy because, obviously, a happy child, a happy student, is going to be much more receptive to learning,” Dover said.

Dover said he wants to be a voice for his constituents, and his primary concern is the roughly 4,500 students who received funds under LB 1402 but might not get additional funding in the future. Some, Dover noted, might go back to hostile environments where they were bullied or felt unwelcome.

“I’m not a Catholic. I’m not Lutheran. There’s no gain in my religion to do this,” Dover said. “I think it’s just a responsibility to children, to kids.”

<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59412" target="_blank">LB 427</a>, from State Sen. Bob Andersen of Omaha, would require the state treasurer to allow families to create educational savings accounts for any K-12 school expenses.&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59361" target="_blank">LB 131</a>, also by Sorrentino, would expand the state’s current college savings accounts to let them be used to cover the costs of K-12 schools.

State Sens. Beau Ballard of Lincoln and Christy Armendariz of Omaha are taking a narrower approach to support students in need.

<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59668" target="_blank">LB 481</a>, from Ballard, would create the Foster Care Child Scholarships Act focused on foster care youths, a vulnerable population he said the state already seeks to give every opportunity to flourish. He said those children, too, should have an opportunity to go to a school where they can achieve their dreams.

Ballard’s bill would set aside $200,000 in state funding for the next two years for HOPE Scholarships for private K-12 schools through the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

“I just don’t want to fit students into a box,” Ballard said. “This is just an opportunity for them to fit their needs.”

<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59652" target="_blank">LB 557</a>, from Armendariz, would offer significant changes to the state’s option enrollment process by which a family can “option” to a different, participating public school district. Net option enrollment pays the receiving district about $11,000 per student in state funding, multiple senators said.

The bill would give any family $2,500&nbsp;for the educational support of the student&nbsp;should their option enrollment application be rejected, no matter the reason. LB 557, as introduced, has no cap on those funds.

Armendariz said she plans to amend her bill to narrow its impact to students who qualify for free and reduced-price lunch, at 185% of the federal poverty level, and who are currently in “failing schools,” which she said would be defined based on state test score proficiency rates.

“Really it’s to give more kids in failing schools some sort of an out,” Armendariz said, noting it “might be a drop in the bucket” of what some people would need.

A similar proposal,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59568" target="_blank">LB 633</a>&nbsp;from State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, would empower the State Board of Education to give students’ families an “option enrollment tuition account” after a denied option enrollment application. It would have state K-12 funds follow the student.

Royers has testified in the past that option enrollment is a positive “choice” program within public schools but that denials could come because a family doesn’t fill out their application correctly or a school is at capacity.

He said the “obvious” efforts of the new bills to advance a “voucher agenda” through low-income students or youths in foster care are “fundamentally wrong.”&nbsp;

“They’re trying to utilize some of our most vulnerable students to prop up a foot in the door to set up a much larger voucher program,” Royers said. “Candidly, we think it’s pretty despicable that that’s the way that they’re choosing to try and do this rather than respecting the lesson they learned at the ballot.”

Royers originally criticized&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59009" target="_blank">LB 391</a>, from State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, the Education Committee chair, which would create state savings accounts for people with disabilities to use for qualified expenses, including but not limited to education, before he learned more about the program uses.

Murman supports the school choice efforts and said he didn’t know education would be covered under his bill. He and Ballard said supporting people in need isn’t a “foot in the door.”&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/31/iowa-wisconsin-national-educators-urge-nebraskans-to-repeal-state-support-to-private-schools/">National education leaders</a>&nbsp;as well as Royers have noted similar programs usually start small and grow over time.

Armendariz said whether option enrollment works, in practice, “is a completely different picture” than its purported goals and that the Legislature can’t wait.

“My focus wants to be on a child. We only have them for 13 years, and it goes by fast,” Armendariz said. “To sit here and think about it for 20 [years] is not an option.”

Armendariz noted that she grew up in northeast Omaha, in what is now District 11, and sees a “real need” for local families. District 11 is represented by McKinney.

“I was one of those kids. My family could not afford any other options than the schools we went to, whether they were failing or not,” Armendariz said. “This really refines it to pinpoint poor kids that probably, arguably, are not getting the best opportunities that they could.”

Her comments on not waiting echo those of McKinney and former State Sen. Justin Wayne of northeast Omaha, two Democratic lawmakers in the officially nonpartisan Legislature who had joined Linehan and other Republicans in supporting the Opportunity Scholarships Act.

McKinney said change is “more than overdue” in part because lawmakers are seeking to repeal his 2023 law to prohibit suspensions of children before third grade or to lock children up younger, or charge them with crimes as adults sooner.

“And when you look at the demographic of the kids that will be suspended or locked up, they look like me, they’re coming from my community,” McKinney said.

“That’s why we can’t wait for change,” McKinney said. “The school system has to change. It has to be modernized. And it has to work for everybody, and not just some, and it hasn’t been working for everybody.”

In 2024, McKinney was “present, not voting” on LB 1402. His district has the lowest average household income in the state and has the highest percentage of people below the poverty level, including seniors and children, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/pdf/reports/research/districts_at_a_glance_2024.pdf" target="_blank">most recent legislative data</a>.

McKinney said fewer than 50% of students in some of his schools are on track to graduate.

He said he approaches school choice legislation thinking about his community, so he wasn’t surprised when his district’s voters voted to keep LB 1402. McKinney said he takes himself out of the conversation and focuses on the concerns affecting his community, not yet reading or weighing in on Sorrentino’s revival of the bill he previously supported.

McKinney said those issues are sometimes left out of the conversation of issues facing District 11.

“The real question is: Are we OK knowing that we have districts and communities where kids have been historically failed, and we have done nothing about it but say wait?” he said.

Whether McKinney and at least one other Democratic lawmaker, or two, support any school choice effort could be key to any of the legislation passing.

At least a couple of rural Republicans, including State Sen. Myron Dorn of Adams, say voters have already spoken. Dorn voted to allow LB 1402 to take effect partly to repeal its predecessor.

“If the Legislature is going to listen to our voters, then we shouldn’t pass that same type of bill up here,” Dorn said.

State Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln, a lead opponent of Linehan’s past efforts, said he’s a big believer that public dollars should remain in public schools, which isn’t a policy choice, he noted, but a constitutional mandate in Nebraska.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/articles.php?article=VII-11#:~:text=VII%2D12-,Article%20VII%2D11,services%20are%20nonsectarian%20in%20nature." target="_blank">Nebraska Constitution</a>&nbsp;prohibits state appropriations to schools “not owned or exclusively controlled by the state or a political subdivision thereof.”

He said either directly, in the case of LB 1402, or through “loopholes” like tax credits, “they achieve the same goal” of sending public dollars to private schools.

Freshman State Sen. Ashlei Spivey, who succeeded Wayne in northeast Omaha, said she acknowledges the split views of vouchers and school choice in her district but that overall, voters have spoken.

“The true question for me is why aren’t parents happy with their school choice for their children, and how can we make sure that our public education system is meeting the needs of the unique challenges and opportunities especially faced in my district?” Spivey said.

McKinney questioned what opponents would suggest as a solution, and Spivey said she looks forward to working with local leadership on finding steps forward.

“We do not have the luxury to wait, and this is a top priority for me in ensuring that people have access to equitable, quality, fully funded public education,” Spivey said.

Dungan said he agreed that public schools can always be improved, ensuring that public education statewide serves students well, “not just adequately, but successfully,” while noting not every school will handle situations the same.

“I don’t think the way to answer that problem is to dismantle the system or fund it any less,” Dungan said. “I think the way to handle that problem is to make sure that we have the best public schools in the country.”

Supporters of LB 1402 didn’t fund an opposition campaign last year as they did in 2023 to try to preserve the tax credit for funding scholarships&nbsp;in the face of a public vote.

Jeremy Ekeler, executive director of Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska, a group that benefited from both of Linehan’s school choice laws, said he is encouraged by the passion of senators seeking to help Nebraska kids and families.

“Thousands of Nebraska families are counting on lawmakers to protect their right to access the education that works best for them,” he said in a statement.

Linehan has said if Nebraskans knew they were&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/31/families-urge-nebraskans-to-retain-state-support-to-private-schools/">voting to take funds from students</a>, they would have preserved the laws, and she expected parents to demand answers if the repeal won.

Sorrentino said supporters are energized more than before. He’d be happy with any 2025 proposal “getting some air time” because “repetition, sometimes, drives the point home.”

“These are all Nebraska’s kids, these are all God’s kids, and they weren’t all created equal, both financially and needs-wise,” Sorrentino said. “I don’t see why we turn our back on a young man or a woman for financial need just because we have public schools.”

Nebraska school choice supporters, opponents ready for another rematch

OMAHA, NE&nbsp;(January 28, 2025) – Sailing into new waters. For the first time ever, AAA is releasing a cruise forecast for the year ahead. This report is similar to the travel forecasts AAA releases for major holidays. It examines the number of U.S. residents that will take an ocean cruise from a U.S. or international port.

Cruise travel volumes will reach a record high for the third consecutive year. AAA forecasts 19 million Americans will go on ocean cruises in 2025. This is a 4.5% increase over 2024, when 18.2 million Americans went on cruise vacations. It’s also 34% more than the pre-pandemic peak of 14.2 million in 2019.

“The cruise industry’s focus on bigger ships, shorter itineraries and private islands has contributed to remarkable growth in recent years,” said Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Cruise lines have introduced larger ships, which accommodate more guests and have an incredible range of amenities on board. It’s at the point now where the ship itself can be the destination. Many of these vessels sail on short 3–4-night itineraries, which allows for more frequent sailings and the opportunity to sample cruising while visiting a private island.”

There is reason to be optimistic about travel in 2025, as most indicators point towards continued growth in incomes and spending. Additionally, consumer surveys suggest the intent to travel remains strong and consumers still prioritize travel spending.

Most Americans going on cruises this year are seeking fun in the sun!

Shorter Caribbean cruises are rising in popularity.&nbsp;The most common cruise itineraries are 6 to 8 days, yet shorter itineraries are making waves. Cruises for five days or less are projected to rise from 2% of Caribbean cruises in 2023 to 18% in 2025.

The three busiest cruise ports in the world&nbsp;are in the same state: Florida! Miami, Port Canaveral, and Fort Lauderdale are the busiest ports based on embarkation and debarkation. Miami landed the world’s largest cruise ship with the debut of Royal Caribbean’s&nbsp;Icon of the Seas&nbsp;last year. This summer, Port Canaveral welcomes the&nbsp;Icon’s&nbsp;sister ship, the equally large&nbsp;Star of the Seas.

“So much has been included on these new ships from fine dining to live entertainment, shopping, and activities for all ages,” Haas continued. “Cruising is like staying at a floating all-inclusive resort which delivers you to the world’s most beautiful destinations. It’s an appealing option for large and small family gatherings, holiday celebrations, and a great first trip outside the country.”

You Booked a Cruise ... Now What?!&nbsp;&nbsp;

If you’re one of the 19 million Americans going on a cruise this year,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rC9Jx-2BKjapp5TG9KdFTgiHOY-3D9giW_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEu9ForkbU2BMNTBWH3XP7OdT44Bbe46bKr8Wrm-2FRs-2FzyNpAOGWBtNKBasrXMt86ANx9g9iNDJcW1p9l7ZPGEPcy-2Bn1Ti9spD4jjedSp4l6qEnaXOWZILeRJDjlzydDGevhlGNm25ehTDbIXmvGJb7woAqVaoJ3emo6ooMFYfZqVozQioEHNYcLTuDgmKQwor2YlyHIcSpi-2F1qYfj4bFEfplV-2B2wMWTqKiOQQc08LcKTAD-2BnAW7zBF02eeFBP4isMPi7-2FVH1kAPBZ-2B1rRM80uCmj07ilrtcYaXv6V5nX5XSJ4-3D">AAA Travel</a>&nbsp;has expert advice to ensure your trip is smooth sailing:

In cooperation with AAA, Tourism Economics prepared the 2025 cruise forecast based on scheduled cruise itineraries covering virtually all major cruise vessels, the economic outlook, and travel sector trends. This forecast relies on cruise-related analytics from Cruise IP (Tourism Economics’ proprietary database for the cruise industry), economic forecasts prepared by Oxford Economics, and assumptions on the future path of the tourism industry.

In this analysis, U.S. cruise passenger volume refers to ocean cruises taken by U.S. residents. It includes cruises that depart from U.S. or international ports.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1738078321375.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>AAAOMAHA, NE&nbsp;(January 28, 2025) – Sailing into new waters. For the first time ever, AAA is releasing a cruise forecast for the year ahead. This report is similar to the travel forecasts AAA releases for major holidays. It examines the number of U.S. residents that will take an ocean cruise from a U.S. or international port.2025 Cruise OutlookCruise travel volumes will reach a record high for the third consecutive year. AAA forecasts 19 million Americans will go on ocean cruises in 2025. This is a 4.5% increase over 2024, when 18.2 million Americans went on cruise vacations. It’s also 34% more than the pre-pandemic peak of 14.2 million in 2019.“The cruise industry’s focus on bigger ships, shorter itineraries and private islands has contributed to remarkable growth in recent years,” said Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Cruise lines have introduced larger ships, which accommodate more guests and have an incredible range of amenities on board. It’s at the point now where the ship itself can be the destination. Many of these vessels sail on short 3–4-night itineraries, which allows for more frequent sailings and the opportunity to sample cruising while visiting a private island.”Economic DriversThere is reason to be optimistic about travel in 2025, as most indicators point towards continued growth in incomes and spending. Additionally, consumer surveys suggest the intent to travel remains strong and consumers still prioritize travel spending.<figure>
 <img src="" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Popular Cruise ItinerariesMost Americans going on cruises this year are seeking fun in the sun!<ul>
 <li>72% of U.S. cruise passengers are heading to the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rC9MQVoAJyfpJyOrscdHsxZH4dvhTu4BClSkGuMc4Bk3ZzTjElPYVDwds-2FvbkTZxoLcifjjt0G19TbT9Dcdyw7Hul-2BN5uptlY-2BKFTU-2B0z2FTbwEfj-2FByH65lJGutwm-2Fdcwg-3D-3Dc0_P_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEu9ForkbU2BMNTBWH3XP7OdT44Bbe46bKr8Wrm-2FRs-2FzyNpAOGWBtNKBasrXMt86ANx9g9iNDJcW1p9l7ZPGEPcy-2Bn1Ti9spD4jjedSp4l6qEnaXOWZILeRJDjlzydDGevhlGNm25ehTDbIXmvGJb7wh749YBL8MlKqFxD6DE6-2B0O9-2B0AjnpHuSziIVf8Slzo2fK1ZJvhOfnPZ7PR4CWYw0N2WDZe4c7fqeM4O7bqXh1Yyu2a8QIDjgkWEeNcOnzkTl8I6qpPfvgcw2GR3N0yrRbxIYvW-2Fk4y7HkkN45DqAWA-3D">Caribbean</a>, making it by far the most popular destination. 6% are taking Alaska cruises and 5% will cruise in the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rC9MQVoAJyfpJyOrscdHsxZE-2F9CRrzRWSXd7iTLsHUInyi2Nc9jJHW6J8kvFl129OklKbCT4WGuvgCMB-2FwVx2x95pKEYthLERxztk47tHfdrPvAB1-2BWPXlV75kP-2FMoLFfxA-3D-3D-UHE_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEu9ForkbU2BMNTBWH3XP7OdT44Bbe46bKr8Wrm-2FRs-2FzyNpAOGWBtNKBasrXMt86ANx9g9iNDJcW1p9l7ZPGEPcy-2Bn1Ti9spD4jjedSp4l6qEnaXOWZILeRJDjlzydDGevhlGNm25ehTDbIXmvGJb7wkuVaGOxUdFdiKNnoBEeXPNtWIkJ-2BmTobFs7a0me18ij4OmkAq2jLuowBZrNxekmZXLKWYVTzCQFtxadS0JIILjJ1LQrr9eJkDCg-2FczMnhgD1YbN4qlyrzibPYYM0i0gGlmrSQ3xOYJrVeISCUDhC8o-3D">Mediterranean</a>.</li><li>The Caribbean’s dominance this year is on par with its pre-pandemic numbers in 2018 and 2019.</li><li>The Caribbean’s share dipped to 68% in 2022-23 as cruises to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rC9MQVoAJyfpJyOrscdHsxZH4dvhTu4BClSkGuMc4Bk3ZOyW4zwyxyGgjD-2B0FAkrYoOKyOo71WhwZ6yIhtoF34PU-3DIN-g_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEu9ForkbU2BMNTBWH3XP7OdT44Bbe46bKr8Wrm-2FRs-2FzyNpAOGWBtNKBasrXMt86ANx9g9iNDJcW1p9l7ZPGEPcy-2Bn1Ti9spD4jjedSp4l6qEnaXOWZILeRJDjlzydDGevhlGNm25ehTDbIXmvGJb7wsAc-2FzfO2EpR0cAdlU-2BZTPZyhTg-2B4cj-2BRbADH8DXvQfMbI1mTuC-2BT0QnD-2FFX6yurHO0MzL99oHMOak3KoZUblgFWkfJQ3395ShN-2BfvArORVVM2jljznJzpzwSq2x2CX6gSya4hu6XXsblAQ9eet-2FzHU-3D">Alaska</a>&nbsp;and the Mediterranean surged, but destination shares have returned to pre-pandemic norms over the past year.</li>
 </ul>Shorter Caribbean cruises are rising in popularity.&nbsp;The most common cruise itineraries are 6 to 8 days, yet shorter itineraries are making waves. Cruises for five days or less are projected to rise from 2% of Caribbean cruises in 2023 to 18% in 2025.<figure>
 <img src="" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The three busiest cruise ports in the world&nbsp;are in the same state: Florida! Miami, Port Canaveral, and Fort Lauderdale are the busiest ports based on embarkation and debarkation. Miami landed the world’s largest cruise ship with the debut of Royal Caribbean’s&nbsp;Icon of the Seas&nbsp;last year. This summer, Port Canaveral welcomes the&nbsp;Icon’s&nbsp;sister ship, the equally large&nbsp;Star of the Seas.“So much has been included on these new ships from fine dining to live entertainment, shopping, and activities for all ages,” Haas continued. “Cruising is like staying at a floating all-inclusive resort which delivers you to the world’s most beautiful destinations. It’s an appealing option for large and small family gatherings, holiday celebrations, and a great first trip outside the country.”You Booked a Cruise ... Now What?!&nbsp;&nbsp;If you’re one of the 19 million Americans going on a cruise this year,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rC9Jx-2BKjapp5TG9KdFTgiHOY-3D9giW_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEu9ForkbU2BMNTBWH3XP7OdT44Bbe46bKr8Wrm-2FRs-2FzyNpAOGWBtNKBasrXMt86ANx9g9iNDJcW1p9l7ZPGEPcy-2Bn1Ti9spD4jjedSp4l6qEnaXOWZILeRJDjlzydDGevhlGNm25ehTDbIXmvGJb7woAqVaoJ3emo6ooMFYfZqVozQioEHNYcLTuDgmKQwor2YlyHIcSpi-2F1qYfj4bFEfplV-2B2wMWTqKiOQQc08LcKTAD-2BnAW7zBF02eeFBP4isMPi7-2FVH1kAPBZ-2B1rRM80uCmj07ilrtcYaXv6V5nX5XSJ4-3D">AAA Travel</a>&nbsp;has expert advice to ensure your trip is smooth sailing:<ul>
 <li>Work with a AAA Travel Agent.&nbsp;They can help setup all aspects of your trip and ensure you have proper documentation like passports, which are required for cruises to international destinations. AAA also offers additional benefits and savings that can be combined with what is provided by the cruise lines.</li><li>Reserve activities early.&nbsp;Whether it’s an excursion, specialty dinner, or spa treatment, your best bet is to reserve your spot ASAP. Popular cruise activities sell out fast!</li><li>Consider getting travel insurance&nbsp;to protect your investment in case of a medical emergency or another interruption during your trip. Remember, most U.S. health insurance plans do not cover you at international destinations.</li><li>Arrive the day before.&nbsp;If you’re flying into your port city, arrive a day or two before your ship is scheduled to depart. That takes the stress out of worrying about flight delays and cancelations, and it gives you time to explore your departure city. AAA travel agents can help book your flights to help you have a great experience from the time you leave home.</li><li>Have a parking plan.&nbsp;If you’re driving to your port city, decide ahead of time where you will leave your car. Most cruise ports offer parking right at the terminal, but like airports, those spots come at a premium price. To save some money, look for off-site cruise port parking options that offer a shuttle service. Another option is to look for hotels near the cruise port that offer “park &amp; cruise” options. These packages allow you to stay at the hotel the night before your cruise and park your car there while you’re gone. The hotel will then take you to the cruise port on departure day and pick you up once you return.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Download the cruise line’s app.&nbsp;You can check in for your cruise through the app, review the itinerary, complete the mandatory lifeboat drill, look at the daily program, and in some cases, open your stateroom door, order food, make dinner reservations, and text your friends. Best of all, you don’t need the ship’s internet package to use cruise line apps - they are free to use onboard!</li><li>Do your homework before packing.&nbsp;Check your cruise line’s list of prohibited items ahead of your trip. From irons and steamers to certain foods and beverages, each company is different, so take the time to look up what you can and can’t bring onboard or your items will be confiscated.</li><li>Items that come in handy.&nbsp;If you’re going on a Caribbean cruise, sunscreen is a must and bringing it from home saves you money. In general, sundries onboard are more expensive. If you take prescription medications, bring extra in case there is a delay during your trip. Magnetic hooks are popular with passengers who need extra storage space. Since cruise cabin walls are made of metal, hooks come in handy for hanging swimsuits and towels. Colorful beach towel clips are also useful at the pool deck to not only keep your towel in place but help you identify your lounge chair when you come back from taking a dip!</li><li>Embarkation dos and don’ts.&nbsp;Some cruise lines have scheduled embarkation times. Do arrive at your assigned embarkation time. Don’t try to get there early and hope they will let you on – they likely won’t. Don’t pack your passport or birth certificate in your suitcase. Always have your documentation with you including a copy of your boarding pass. If you do not have proper identification when you are checking in at the port, you will be denied boarding. If you check your suitcase with a porter, your bag may not arrive at your stateroom for a few hours. Pack a small carry-on with your swimsuit so you can change right away and start the fun!</li><li>Having fun? Run it back!&nbsp;If you’re enjoying your vacation at sea, look for the future cruise office onboard to book your next trip. There are often special promotions like onboard credits on top of the regular cruise line offers for bookings made onboard. Your travel agent back home will also be notified about your new booking. Just don’t wait until the last minute. The office gets busier as the final day of the cruise approaches, so stop by early in the trip, or make an appointment if the office takes reservations.</li>
 </ul>Cruise Forecast Methodology&nbsp;&nbsp;In cooperation with AAA, Tourism Economics prepared the 2025 cruise forecast based on scheduled cruise itineraries covering virtually all major cruise vessels, the economic outlook, and travel sector trends. This forecast relies on cruise-related analytics from Cruise IP (Tourism Economics’ proprietary database for the cruise industry), economic forecasts prepared by Oxford Economics, and assumptions on the future path of the tourism industry.In this analysis, U.S. cruise passenger volume refers to ocean cruises taken by U.S. residents. It includes cruises that depart from U.S. or international ports.&nbsp;About AAA - The Auto Club GroupThe Auto Club Group (ACG) is the second largest AAA club in North America with more than 13&nbsp;million members across 14 U.S. states and two U.S. territories.&nbsp;ACG and its affiliates provide members with roadside assistance, insurance products, banking and financial services, travel offerings and more. ACG belongs to the national AAA federation with more than 64 million members in the United States and Canada. AAA’s mission is to protect and advance freedom of mobility and improve traffic safety. For more information, get the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" 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and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.About Tourism EconomicsTourism Economics is an Oxford Economics company with a singular objective: combine an understanding of the travel sector with proven economic tools to answer the most important questions facing our clients. More than 500 companies, associations, and destination work with Tourism Economics every year as a research partner. We bring decades of experience to every engagement to help our clients make better marketing, investment, and policy decisions. Tourism Economics operates out of regional headquarters in Philadelphia and Oxford, with offices in Belfast, Buenos Aires, Dubai, Frankfurt, and Ontario.&nbsp;Oxford Economics is one of the world’s foremost independent global advisory firms, providing reports, forecasts and analytical tools on 200 countries, 100 industrial sectors, and over 3,000 cities. Our best-of-class global economic and industry models and analytical tools give us an unparalleled ability to forecast external market trends and assess their economic, social, and business impact. 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