Ricketts said the new prison could be operational in 2025, when Nebraska’s corrections system is expected to house more than 6,400 inmates. Its current operational capacity is closer to 5,300.
“Nebraska’s corrections system has been underbuilt for 40 years, and our infrastructure is aging,” the governor said.
“It’s no secret that many Nebraskans still do not have access to broadband,” Ricketts said in unveiling his proposal for additional investment in better community connectivity through access to broadband.
“The pandemic revealed how impossible work from home or remote education can be for those on the wrong side of the digital divide,” he said.
Over the last several months, the governor said, the state used federal funding from the CARES Act to begin connecting 17,600 households with broadband.
Working with Sen. Curt Friesen of Henderson and Speaker Mike Hilgers of Lincoln, Ricketts said, he is proposing investment of $20 million in each of the next two years to help an additional 30,000 households obtain broadband connectivity.
“As the pandemic continues, we have an opportunity to keep moving our state forward,” the governor said.
Ricketts saluted Nebraskans for their response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic immediately after their efforts to help the state recover from historic flooding in 2019.
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