Rick Beard
Legal Marijuana NOWQ7 In what ways, if any, will you consult with scientists and experts to prevent/ mitigate the risk and damage from natural disasters and in the response to natural disasters?
“I plan to create an advisory committee of scientists, experts, first responders, community volunteers, and previously affected victims of natural disasters. Through these people we will find the ways and means to mitigate and prevent future disasters. Learning from other states and nations can show us the causes and potential solutions to these dangerous situations. We also need state and federal resources to combat disasters. Having the funds on hand to match with federal money is key to succeeding. Through cannabis revenue and corporate tax reform we will start creating a safer environment for our citizens by supplying the funds needed to improve our emergency response systems. We must not rely on others to come save us. I will incentivize volunteer training programs and completion of FIMA independent study courses that prepare our citizens to activate in times of emergency.”
KEYWORDS: Safety, training, prevention, education, volunteers, funding
Q8 The governor represents Nebraska in formal dealings with other states (such as water management agreements affecting the Republican River Basin with Kansas and Colorado). What policies would you implement to keep water from the Ogallala Aquifer and rivers passing through the state clean, and how would you balance maintaining necessary water levels in Nebraska with sharing water resources with other states?
“We must clean our soil and reduce the amount of nitrates in our water. I’ll give Nebraska farmers profitable alternatives to continuous corn and other high-input cropping systems, particularly on acres where excessive nitrogen and irrigation are contributing to groundwater contamination. 1,000,000 acres is about 6.5% of Nebraska’s corn and soybean acreage. If we can incorporate a million acres of industrial hemp into rotation with crops that use more nitrogen, we will start using roughly 35,000 fewer tons of nitrogen every year while pulling contaminates from the soil and eventually lowering nitrates in our water. When we shut down 100 Pillen pig farms for exploiting undocumented workers, the amount of nitrogen released into our water will definitely be reduced. We will balance water levels by banning data centers from Nebraska and rotating corn acreage with crops that use less water.”
KEYWORDS: Public health, responsible farming, science
Q9 In your opinion, what is the purpose of the NE Department of Health and Human Services and what skill sets and values do you set as criteria when considering who to appoint to this state department?
“The purpose of the Nebraska DHHS should be pretty simple: take care of Nebraskans who need assistance and make sure the programs we are paying for actually work. That means protecting children, supporting people with disabilities, helping families in need, providing access to health care, supporting mental health care for all, and making sure our most vulnerable citizens aren’t being underserved.
When I appoint someone to lead DHHS, I need somebody who understands that these are real people, not numbers on a spreadsheet. I want someone with strong management skills, financial responsibility, common sense, and the ability to listen to people who actually use these programs while making fact based decisions. They must be able to reject special interest influence and not succumb to the powers that fight against health care expansion.”
KEYWORDS: Compassion, expansion, reliability, honesty, access
Q10 What steps, if any, would you take to ensure state agencies have access to reliable scientific expertise when implementing policies and that scientific evidence considered during policymaking is communicated clearly and transparently to the public?
“You can lead a horse to water…..When it comes to policy making, scientific research has taken a back seat when it comes to war, environmental issues, AI, cannabis, hemp, food systems, pharmaceuticals, alternative energy options, the list goes on and on. I will bring scientific expertise and research data to relevant policy making sessions. Science and research provides facts that are invaluable when creating legislation. Special interest and PAC money flowing to our elected officials makes them ignore research and science when creating policy for their donor bosses, without the people’s best interest in mind. The scientific truth must be woven into the legislation that shapes Nebraska, otherwise we are creating policy based on speculation, special influence, and lies. Bringing truth and science into Nebraska policy is one of the reasons I am running for this office.”
KEYWORDS: Transparent, evidence based, responsive
Q11 Within the last year, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents eliminated four academic departments at University of Nebraska - Lincoln, including statistics and earth and atmospheric sciences. All four U Nebraska campuses are now facing additional budget reductions. Constituents and university leaders have raised concerns about how this will impact education and workforce readiness along with economic and social value from research (Wendling, 2025). NU President Gold stated: “We cannot cut our way to extraordinary, nor can we fully realize our mission of exceptional teaching, research and statewide engagement if we are operating in a constant cycle of cuts and related restrictions, without the ability to predict even a single year of stability” (Peal, 2026). In your opinion, what (if any) are the immediate and long-term effects of cuts to research and science education? Does state funding to the university system fit into your suggestions for balancing the state budget? And if so, what are your specific suggestions for doing this?
“That’s great. Gold wants $160 million more this year. That’s $160 from every taxpayer. I’ll incentivize our universities to have industrial hemp curriculum, grow industrial hemp, process it, manufacture green building products, sell them, and put the revenue towards funding the University instead of demanding the taxpayers foot the bill every year. Supporting outdated and conservative farm policy while ignoring financial solutions staring them in the face doesn’t bode well for their economic and agricultural departments. The short and long term effects of program cuts to the UN system make it less diverse and not as attractive to the world’s top students. It’s like compromised athletic recruitment to a college that hasn’t won a championship in a few decades. University funding does fall into my budget plans. My suggestion: grow, manufacture, and sell industrial hemp products. All the profits go back to the Universities to mitigate financial gaps and department closures.”
KEYWORDS: Affordability, access, new revenue & new curriculum