Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts is pushing lawmakers to approve funding for a $260 million new state prison and a $500 million canal to capture water from Colorado in the South Platte River.
On Wednesday Ricketts said the state can pay for both projects and deliver tax cuts to Nebraskans after the state economic forecasting board predicted that Nebraska will receive $775 million more than expected.
“The fact of the matter is the state is in a very good financial state to do all these things. We can manage this all through the budget and with the stronger forecast it makes it only more important that we hit upon all of these different priorities.”
Ricketts has endorsed a measure that would lower Nebraska’s top individual and corporate income tax rate. He also has backed a new state prison proposal to replace the Nebraska State Penitentiary and a canal project between Nebraska and Colorado to preserve the state’s water supply from the South Platte River.