State Senator Mark Kolterman of Seward was the program at the recent Seward Rotary Club meeting on Wednesday, June 1, 2022 at the Jones Bank Auditorium at noon. A luncheon and business meeting preceded the speaker. Senator Kolterman is a lifelong resident of Seward and the district he represents. This is the last of eight years of elected service as the Senator from the 24th legislative district. He cannot run for this seat again because of term limits.
His presentation included the highlights and disappointments in serving over the last eight years and some insightful observations from the experience. He thanked the Seward Rotary Club for their support over the years and he enjoyed the wonderful support from Seward and from his entire district, noting it was a privilege and an honor to represent such a positive, progressive legislative district.
He commented “I went into this experience with no agenda - I just wanted to serve and represent my constituents. I enjoy public service and have been involved in a variety of service activities over the years. I did however learn that many did have specific agendas as Senators, and it was often a challenge to see who I would please and who I would upset with my vote or stance on an issue.”
He reviewed many of his activities over the years, starting with 2015, where he voted to repeal the death penalty. He did so at the time and explained that the voters who took the time to contact him were 2 to 1 in favor of the repeal, “Being a Pro Life Senator, death was not a solution in my eyes and the repeal of the death penalty passed. However, when it became an issue of the people and was placed on the ballot, they voted to keep the death penalty. After that I followed suit and if it came up again, I would have voted to keep it as well, as I was listening to my constituents. After all, that’s what you do-you listen and vote to support your constituents.”
Kolterman served on many of the 14 Standing Committees. The first year, he served on the Agriculture Committee, General Affairs Committee, the Health and Human Services Committee, and the Retirement Committee. Every two years the committee assignment can change. The second year he was elected Chairman of the Retirement Committee and served for seven years. He was also on the Banking Committee and the Revenue Committee. During his final years he served on Appropriations and continued his service as Chair of the Retirement Committee.
Serving as the Retirement Committee Chair was a major task-as they have a total of $22 Billion in assets and manage seven retirement plans, and soon will add Omaha Public Schools retirement to their management group. He noted that every month, the Nebraska Retirement pays out $60 million in funds to eligible Nebraskan’s. He also noted that Nebraska’s retirement plans rank fourth in the nation, modeled as one of the most successful retirement management programs in the United States.
He reviewed many of his early bills-one of from the first year involved “Tele Health,” working to boost rural health. Another successful early bill centered on plasma donation and lowered age to give blood to the age of 18-which passed 46-0. Palliative care was another issue, developed into a bill that passed offering coordination of care for the terminally ill.
In 2020, he was very proud of his “Imagine Nebraska Act” which took two sessions to pass. This economic development incentive program was needed to replace the previous economic development program and will remain in effect for ten years. It was combined with a property tax relief program and “The Next Project”, which would bring a large operation of the federal government to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
“The Next Project” is a partnership program with University Med Center and the Department of Defense. The State of Nebraska pledged $300 million, which would be allocated to build once the federal government and philanthropy community contribute. After hours of negotiation, it will create 8000 jobs in Nebraska and be a major economic development effort.
He spoke on the property tax credits now offered as a result of current legislation. Also, in 2021 he noted that the Omaha Public Schools Retirement system requested that the legislature take over their program. His committee agreed to manage the OPS retirement program without assuming the deficit or take on their liabilities. The bill passed with 38 votes.
2021 also saw the: “Step Therapy Reform Act” adopted, where there is a concerted effort to cut red tape and serve the clients in need. He also carried several successful bills regarding pharmacy regulation.
The legislature’s redistricting process was a challenge during his tenure. He had to work hard to keep District 24 in one cohesive district as the district was one of the few districts with growth and the counties within it worked well together. At one time, the Redistricting Committee suggested that District 24 dissolve and that Sarpy County would become District 24. In the end, after much deliberation, he stopped the movement of district 24, leaving the current district basically the same footprint.
He is most proud of his Pancreatic Cancer Research bill which allocated $15 million to create a Pancreatic Cancer Research Center at UNMC in Omaha. This “Center of Excellence” will become a national focus for Pancreatic Cancer research which took over four years of negotiation to bring the Center to a reality.
In addressing the “Disappointments and Challenges”, he stated that “One of my biggest disappointments is not being able to help the first-class city paid professional firefighters with their retirement package.” He wanted to create a retirement plan for the first-class city firemen and is still working on the issue to assist first responders, he stated.
“There are many difficult issues before the legislature each year, and I see Pro Life continuing to be challenged, with a potential special session yet this year. Issues with education, sex standards and even railroad/train issues have also been debated. I really feel we should trust our local boards and hired professionals and allow them to do their jobs-not telling them how to do their jobs.”
“One of the major benefits to the work in the legislature is the development of friends and colleagues, who need to work together to accomplish much. I am a strong advocate on the fact that the Nebraska Unicameral remain focused on being nonpartisan, and that the elected representatives leave their Republican or Democrat cloaks at home. I was considered a ‘moderate’ and along with seven others worked with both sides of the fence to get work done!” We represented the people, not the parties. It has worked for many years that way and I hope it continues. He likes to see more non-partisanship in the Unicameral, as it was established with that mindset- to take off the party hats at the door and work on the issues together as Nebraskans.”
When asked about his next political step or future, he commented that he is just looking forward to being a good volunteer for Rotary and plans to retire and work in the yard and play at the lake. He is proud to have left over $1 billion in the state’s “Rainy Day” reserve account, noting that the state is in good shape financially.
He concluded stating that he has enjoyed many successes in the last eight years because of his strong, professional office staff and assistants that continue to work every day to help District 24 and the people of Nebraska. These wonderful state employees are to be commended and he said “I will always be grateful to them for their dedication to our work over the last eight years and their loyalty to me and the programs I helped create for the benefit of our district and the state of Nebraska. This outstanding group made me “look good” and made our district one of the leaders in the Unicameral these last eight years.”
He concluded “I thank you for this once in a lifetime opportunity to be your Senator and I just hope you believe that I have served you well, as I did try and work hard to make District 24 and Nebraska a better place to live, work and raise a family. I thank you!”