Bob Anderson
Mr. Anderson did not respond to our request for an interview.
Jen Day (incumbent)
Jen Day is the incumbent senator for District 49. She began her advocacy work sixteen years ago and found that she was interested in state-level policy. She’s running for re-election to the legislature because even though the job has been challenging, she said that serving her constituents and all Nebraskans in the legislature has been one of the biggest honors and privileges she’s ever had.
Day said the most important issue facing Nebraskans is high property taxes. She said that some type of tax reform needs to happen and that the “brain drain” in Nebraska contributes to the overall problem. Ultimately, the cost of living crisis is the number one concern.
Day has been on the Health and Human Services committee for the last four years and recognizes that there are gaps in staffing and funding that make it difficult for the department to provide the highest quality of care and services. She stated that it’s important to fund public services to remedy these issues and also help avoid high turnover rates.
Day stated that she supports the right of Nebraska State Employees to unionize and collectively bargain. She would support a bill expanding public sector collective bargaining to include legislative and judicial branch employees. She said that she would support her own staff unionizing and she recognizes how unions have helped transform the economy in the United States.
Day said that if a bill was introduced to take away public sector collective bargaining rights in Nebraska she would oppose it.
When asked about legislative procedure, Day stated that committee chairs should be chosen by secret ballot and she supports the current filibuster rules.
Day said that she has learned a lot about collective bargaining and the importance of unions from her father and grandfather and stated that her door is always open.
Caleb Muhs
Caleb Muhs grew up in Grand Island. He is running for the legislature because of his experiences living in New York, where he felt that there were bad policies surrounding public education and the COVID response.
Muhs said the most important issue facing Nebraskans is high property taxes.
The public services that Muhs personally utilizes are our Nebraska Game and Parks and the DMV. He said that he has had positive experiences in his encounters with State of Nebraska employees.
Muhs said that he did not know what public services are lacking in Nebraska but that adoption is important to him so he would be interested in finding out if there are shortfalls affecting that.
When asked if he would ensure that public services are fully funded, Muhs stated that he would need to better understand how funding these programs works. Muhs does not oppose the privatization of state services depending on what those services are. In general, he’s opposed to privatization, but he knows that sometimes it is a good option.
In general, Muhs said that he doesn’t oppose unions and collective bargaining. He did not say whether he would support or oppose a bill expanding public sector collective bargaining to legislative and judicial branch employees. Muhs stated that he would oppose any bill introduced to take away public sector collective bargaining rights in Nebraska. However, he inserted a caveat, stating that while he is not opposed to collective bargaining, he is opposed to unions making unreasonable demands.
When asked about legislative procedure, Muhs stated that committee chairs should be chosen by public vote and he would like to make small changes to current filibuster rules to make it more efficient.