Rural America

We see it too often - we send a representative to Washington and they forget where they came from. But Here in Nebraska, we know that rural communities face specific challenges. Whether it’s because a factory closes and ships good-paying jobs overseas, or whether young people leave their hometowns because they don’t believe they can get a job and start a family there, we’re seeing rural towns in decline. Scott Kleeb believes that rural areas are the backbone of this country and is committed to investing in the preservation of the rural way of life.

PRESERVE THE RURAL WAY OF LIFE

A fourth generation Nebraskan, former ranch hand, and avid sportsman, Scott Kleeb has a deep respect and love for the rural way of life. Scott believes we must preserve that way of life for our children. That’s why Scott will:

Support a New Homestead Act. Scott Kleeb has long advocated for increased financial support to our rural communities. From more funding for rural schools and health care facilities to more incentives for rural job growth and conservation efforts, Scott believes we must preserve and support the rural way of life.

Protecting the Second Amendment. An avid sportsman with an A-rating from the National Rifle Association, Scott Kleeb is a firm supporter of the Second Amendment.

Preserving open spaces and wetlands. Scott Kleeb believes that we must preserve our open spaces and wetlands not only because it’s good for our environment, but also to ensure that sportsmen and women can hunt today with their friends and tomorrow with their children.

STRENGTHEN HEALTH CARE IN RURAL AMERICA

Too often, Washington ignores the needs of millions of Americans living in small towns. Yet, rural America faces specific challenges to accessing quality, affordable health care. Scott Kleeb will be a voice for the health care needs of rural Nebraskans by:

Increasing access to care. All around rural America, health care facilities are financially strapped, causing small hospitals to close their doors and leaving many without access to care. Scott Kleeb is committed to strengthening health care in rural America and will support:

Telemedicine technologies that connect rural doctors and patients with specialists and equipment.
Incentives for hospitals to keep their facilities operational.
Transportation services to help rural Americans get care.
Increased funding for community health centers, an important and proven tool for providing health care to rural communities.
Debt assistance to clinics struggling financially because of inadequate funding.
Increased access for mental health care, particularly counselors to address the growing rate of teen suicide.
Increased access to health care professions specializing in substance abuse counseling, especially as related to methamphetamine.

Encouraging innovation in rural medicine. In rural hospitals and clinics in Nebraska, we’ve seen what innovation, integration, and technology means in a patient’s life. Scott Kleeb is committed to working with the rural health care community to foster and facilitate the increased use of innovative practices and the investment in cost-effective, efficient health care initiatives.

Improving trauma care. In serving the agricultural community, rural health professionals routinely treat trauma care patients. Scott Kleeb knows that trauma care preparedness is quite literally the difference between saving a life or limb. That’s why Scott supports initiatives to train and certify rural health professionals and facilities to treat trauma patients.

Recruiting health professionals. More and more, health professionals are leaving small towns for higher paying urban centers, leaving rural Americans with fewer options. Scott Kleeb will encourage young health care professionals to serve rural communities by supporting tuition reimbursement to those who serve more than two years in rural clinics and hospitals.

Increasing parity in reimbursements to rural America. Doctors in rural America have long received lower reimbursement rates than doctors in urban areas. This puts rural communities at risk of losing care. Scott Kleeb will work to increase parity in the Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement programs.

Providing gas-payment tax deductions for caregivers. With today’s rising gas prices, caregivers who provide in-home services for the elderly and the sick, especially those in rural areas, are more likely to pass increased cost onto patients or discontinue service all together. Scott Kleeb will support tax deductions for rural caregivers so that our sick, elderly, and rural patients who are already facing financial difficulties don’t have to bear even higher costs.

SUPPORT RURAL EDUCATION

Our rural areas continue to be squeezed by higher taxes and soaring prices. Making matters worse, more and more young people are leaving rural communities, creating a “brain drain.” Scott Kleeb is committed to strengthening our small towns, which starts by recognizing the importance of strong schools in rural America. Scott supports:

Expanding broadband access and increasing the number of computers in rural schools so geography isn’t a limitation to getting a global education.

Increasing funding to repair and refurbish ailing schools.

Increasing pay for educators in rural areas so our schools can be competitive.

Providing incentives for college educated teachers to return to rural communities.

Making sure that any school consolidation plans are fair and in the best interest of all our students regardless of their zip code.

SPUR RURAL ECONOMIES

All across small-town America, businesses are closing their doors and families are either moving out or making due with less. Scott Kleeb believes we must reverse this trend by supporting these rural towns to help hard-working Americans get ahead. To assist rural America, Scott will support:

Tax incentives for small-business development in rural areas.

Investments in modernizing rural communication infrastructure to bring broadband to rural areas.

Investments in rural roadway infrastructure.

Investments in natural-resources amenities and recreation to build agribusiness and agritourism, including bird watching, hunting, and fishing.