LINCOLN, Neb. - Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen provided an update on a number of topics at his state of the state address to the Nebraska legislature on Wednesday morning.

The governor delivered an emotional message, recounting things like his serious horse riding accident, to plans for tax reform, and even touched on Nebraska’s string of emergency declarations due to severe weather that thrashed the state in 2024.

“Our people are of the greatest character and are the hardest working of anywhere on the earth, right here in Nebraska,” Pillen said.

As Pillen recaps the 2024 year and looks ahead to 2025, he made it clear his priorities remain the same. One of those being reworking government to make it more efficient. To do so, he discussed merging water and energy departments.

“It will save costs, it will streamline the mission of stewarding and protecting our natural resources and environment and enhance collaboration between our people as well.”

As said in a previous interview with News Channel Nebraska, Pillen feels strongly about restricting passing winner-take-all, calling on legislation to pass the law.

"With no presidential election round the corner, there’s no better time than now than to dispassionately deliver on the will of the majority of the state,” Pillen said. “To honor our constitutional founding and unify our voice in our most important exercise in democracy.”

And lastly, Pillen showed support for Sen. Kathleen Kauth’s Stand with Women act, introduced last Friday. The measure restricts transgender athletes in Nebraska schools and colleges to teams, locker rooms and bathrooms corresponding to their sex at birth.

“A small minority people believe it’s acceptable for biological boys to share locker rooms, bathrooms, and playing fields with girls… This is unfair and a recipe for predatory behavior,” said Pillen. “The ovweheleming majority of Nebraskans agree, pass the stand with women act, so we can protect common sense and your girls here in Nebraska.”