Topic: Dave Heineman

Tax VOX What happened to state tax reform?

Months ago, several Republican governors proposed major tax reform plans, Gleckman writes, but by tax day, two of those governors had abandoned their tax reform plans. What happened?

Nebraska Republican, Senator Mike Johanns, will not seek re-election

Senator Mike Johanns, former Governor of Nebraska, and former agriculture secretary under George W. Bush, announced Monday he will not seek re-election in 2014. Johanns said in a statement he wants to spend more quiet time with family.

Tax VOX The drawbacks of using states as tax-reform laboratories

With Washington apparently stuck in gear on taxes, it may be tempting to see the states as leading a way to reform, Gordon writes, but the idea of states as laboratories for federal tax reform is fundamentally flawed. 

Will your state taxes go up? How legislatures are leaning.

As red states get redder and blue states bluer, state taxes could head in opposite directions. Some states are trying to eliminate income taxes, others are raising them.

Energy Voices Canadian oil sands pollute nearby lakes. Report is blow to Keystone pipeline.

Oil sands production in Canada has contaminated surrounding lakes with substances linked to cancer, according to a new study. The scientific findings may help the case against building Keystone XL, a pipeline that would connect Canadian oil sands with American refineries. 

Focus
Obamacare countdown: States all over the map on insurance markets

States have until Dec. 14 to decide whether they will implement their own insurance exchanges under 'Obamacare' or have the federal government do it. Many governors have already refused to set up exchanges.

Obama’s DREAM Act-lite runs into more trouble as Nebraska, Arizona go rogue

Nebraska has joined Arizona in opposing legal status for immigrants who are newly-documented under Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, setting up a constitutional battle while raising tough questions about the program.

Supreme Court ruling on Medicaid tees up campaign issue

Some Republican governors and state lawmakers are eager to opt out of the expansion of Medicaid under 'Obamacare,' now that the Supreme Court has removed the penalty. But millions could remain uninsured. Expect this to play big in some state elections.

Keystone XL pipeline: TransCanada tries again

The Canadian firm has submitted new plans for a pipeline that is designed to avoid environmentally-sensitive acreage in Nebraska.

Keystone XL pipeline: New route, new problems for Obama?

President Obama blocked the Keystone XL pipeline in January, saying Congress didn't allow enough time to assess the project. TransCanada has now proposed a new route though sensitive areas of Nebraska, and Republicans are trying to do an end run around Obama. 

Nebraska approves prenatal care for illegal immigrants

Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman (R) has worried that the bill will make Nebraska a ‘sanctuary’ for illegal immigrants, since it will become the only state in the Midwest to provide that benefit.

GOP governors see Mitt Romney as one of their own, but hesitate to endorse him

Just eight of the 29 Republican governors have endorsed Romney, and while he’s one of their own – a former state chief executive – there are good reasons to hold back, including the GOP’s divisive nominating campaign.

Obama puts Keystone pipeline on hold, decries 'rushed and arbitrary' deadline

Speaker Boehner accuses Obama of 'selling out American jobs for politics,' but Keystone pipeline operator TransCanada says it will submit plans for a rerouted project later this year.

Keystone XL pipeline pits jobs against the environment

The proposed Keystone XL pipeline would bring Canadian oil to the Gulf of Mexico. Supporters say it would mean 20,000 jobs. Opponents worry about the impact on the vast Ogallala Aquifer, which supplies water to eight states.

Hundreds arrested protesting Keystone XL oil pipeline

Protesters hope to persuade President Obama not to approve the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline that would run from Canada to Texas. But the State Department already says its safe, and supporters point to thousands of new jobs.

Healthcare reform backlash: Americans angry over earmarks

Healthcare reform legislation often means cutting 'deals,' but public anger over earmarks may further gridlock healthcare reform.

A weather-beaten economy

Severe weather in the US interior has wrought economic disaster. But recovery may be quick.

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