Jim Pillen Sworn in as Nebraska’s 41st Governor

Jim Pillen, “a 67-year-old hog operator from Columbus, is the state’s first governor to earn most of his living from farming since George Sheldon left office in 1909,” according to an article in the Nebraska Examiner.

During his remarks, Pillen outlined several priorities for lawmakers and the executive branch to tackle together, according to the Unicameral Update. These included “providing adequate funding and resources to educational institutions, retaining talent in Nebraska, maintaining personal freedoms and, most importantly, transforming the state’s tax system.”

Other state officers sworn in include:

• Lieutenant Governor Joe Kelly;
• Attorney General Mike Hilgers;
• State Auditor Mike Foley;
• State Treasurer John Murante;
• Secretary of State Bob Evnen;
• Board of Regents members Paul Kenney and Kathy Wilmot;
• Public Service Commission members Eric Kamler and Kevin Stocker;
• State Board of Education members Sherry Jones, Deborah Neary, Kirk Penner and Elizabeth Tegtmeier; and
• Nebraska Supreme Court Judges William Cassel, John Freudenberg and Jonathan Papik.