LINCOLN- Last week, newly-elected Gov. Pillen announced his plan to bolster state education and offer tax incentives and state aid to K-12 schools. However, according to the OpenSky Policy Institute, which worked alongside the Insitute on Taxation and Economic Policy to release a report on Pillen's changes, the plan the Governor laid out would "quickly" drain Nebraska's $1.9 billion state revenue surplus.

The report went on to detail that Pillen's plan might force the state to tap into its "rainy day" cash reserves, which are usually carefully used for one-time expenditures during times of economic recession, not long-term commitments. "To ensure our state's future fiscal health, it will be important for policymakers this session to prudently use the projected $1.9 billion on proven initiatives that empower hardworking Nebraskans to support their families and their communities," said the report.

State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, who chairs the Legislature's Revenue Committee, questioned how the initiatives could be analyzed before the Governor's budget has been introduced, which is set to happen on Wednesday. "We have over $2 billion in extra funding," said Linehan, "which clearly means that we are taxing people too much. To say that we shouldn't cut taxes shows a total disregard for the taxpayers."

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