Nebraska legislature starts new session
A failed proposal means that Nebraska state representatives will continue to vote for their leaders in the state legislature with a secret ballot. The proposal failed with a 26-16 vote, needing 30 to pass. Opponents of the change argue that the secret ballot process allows for a nonpartisan approach to choosing leaders.
Other changes being proposed for the legislature include an end to filibusters. This is a response to multiple extended filibusters last session. These filibusters were to protest the passage of a specific bill that now, in effect, bans gender-affirming procedures for minors and restricts abortion access to twelve weeks. The protest meant that few bills made it through the legislative process and to the floor for a vote.
With the new session, new bills have been introduced. State Senator Merv Riepe, who served as a tie-breaker last session when he voted against a six-week abortion ban and for the 12-week ban, has introduced a new bill regarding abortion legislation. The bill, LB 1109, would introduce an amendment allowing for abortion in cases where a fatal fetal anomaly would “result in the death of a preborn child upon birth or inevitably thereafter.” Riepe has described his amendment as a “clean-up bill” that would make the law more reasonable. He hopes that this will reduce support for a potential ballot initiative that would appear on the ballot to add abortion rights to the Nebraska constitution. The initiative would allow abortion until a fetus is viable outside of the womb, at around 23 weeks.
Several new divisive bills have been introduced into the legislature. LB 1339 would allow school districts to adopt policies permitting security personnel and designated employees to carry firearms on school property and during school events. Another, LB 1130, would prohibit state colleges and universities from establishing or supporting an office or employee for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. The bill also would prevent these institutions from requiring diversity, equity, and inclusion training for employees. Additionally, they would not be able to promote or adopt theories including social justice, intersectionality, inclusive language, allyship, or racial and sexual privilege as the official position of the institution.
By Aubrey Benton