The Legislature’s Redistricting Committee has been taking public testimony on the process of redrawing the state’s political boundaries this week.
During Tuesday’s hearing at the State Capitol, the First Vice President of the Nebraska Farm Bureau said it was in the best interest of all of Nebraska to preserve as many rural districts as possible.
Sherry Dinton of Whitman told the committee that agriculture is the foundation of the state’s economy, responsible for one in every four jobs in Nebraska, and a viable rural voice needs to be preserved “when making policy decisions without having interests in a body that can share and reflect the needs of farm and ranch families and communities that both support and rely on them.
“As population trends continue to move from rural areas, it’s vital for the state to make sure rural issues continue to have a place of prominence in Nebraska political and policy circles,” said Dinton.
She continued by saying without a rural voice and healthy agriculture economy, the rest of the state would suffer.
Testimony continues today in Omaha on the plans for legislative and congressional districts.
