In the Senator's Own Words...

The videos below capture Nebraska State Senator Tony Fulton putting principle into action. It is an unfortunate fact that some politicians are unashamed to say one thing while simultaneously doing the polar opposite. Not all are this way, however, and Senator Fulton is a refreshing example. He has developed a reputation for being logical, articulate, and competent and has quickly become a key voice in the Nebraska Legislature. Your support ensures his reasoned and persuasive leadership remains at the service of Nebraska now and into the future.

Nebraska is a "Right to Work" state. This means any Nebraskan is free to work the job he chooses, and he, therefore, shall not be required to affiliate with a trade union as a condition of his employment. LB57, introduced in 2007, would mandate that any person working in a facility where a union shop operates pay fees to this union. It would have effectively eliminated Nebraska's "Right to Work" status. Senator Fulton led opposition to the bill and made the point that no one was speaking for the average, non-union worker. The bill did not advance.

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The legislature debated whether the sales tax hurts poor people most as the poor are least able to pay. Senator Fulton explained that property and income taxes also create a certain level of hurt because all taxes find their way into the prices paid by consumers. The best way to control government's need for taxation is to control government's need to spend. Senator Fulton serves on the powerful Appropriations Committee which passed a responsible budget allowing the largest tax relief package in Nebraska's history.

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In 2007 Nebraska was one of only a handful of states in the country to collect an estate tax: a sum of money taken from an individual's belongings at the occurrence of his death. Senator Fulton urged the legislature to consider the long-term policy ramifications of the estate tax rather than simply calculating the short-term effect. As part of the tax relief package passed this session the estate tax, indeed, was repealed.

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A bill was introduced in 2007 to create a new legislative committee on Indian Affairs in Nebraska. At the time (and at present), there already existed a Commission on Indian Affairs within state government. Senator Fulton was opposed to this new committee because he felt it was a duplication and redundancy with respect to the existing commission. When there are multiple bodies in government engaged in the same task, the amount of money spent tends to multiply while the intended effect becomes diluted.

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For some time Nebraska's schools have provided nutritious lunches to students. In 2007 a bill was introduced to expand money to schools providing breakfast to students. A powerful argument has been made that hungry children cannot learn, however it remains to be seen whether schools are the proper solution to the problem of children arriving at school hungry. Senator Fulton posed the question whether schools are already expected to do too much of what parents have traditionally been responsible for. The senator supported amendments which reduced spending for the bill.

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Perhaps the most weighty and difficult topic debated by the legislature in 2007 was the death penalty. Senator Ernie Chambers has introduced a bill to permanently repeal the death penalty in Nebraska every year he has been in office (nearly four decades). The heightened gravity in the legislature and elevated level of discourse is apparent in the video at left. Full and fair debate continued for days on the topic and ceased minutes after Senator Fulton's speech. The bill was ultimately defeated on a 25-24 vote.