Nebraska Rules Committee advances minor changes

Committee avoids controversial law changes

A legislative committee who reviewed 22 proposed changes to the rules governing how Nebraska lawmakers debate and conduct themselves, chose not to vote on advancing significant conservative-led initiatives during their meeting on Tuesday. Instead, the Legislature’s Rules Committee moved forward with two relatively minor amendments put forward by committee members State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair and Teresa Ibach of Sumner, who serve as the chair and vice chair of the Legislature’s Executive Board that manages the daily activities of the legislative branch.

State Sen. Hansen's proposal — Rule Change 6 — aims to expedite the consideration of all gubernatorial appointments, except for agency or department heads, by consolidating them into a single committee report. This change would streamline the review of numerous appointments that committees handle each year, allowing them to be processed together unless five or more senators request a separate debate on a specific nomination. Additionally, the speaker of the Legislature would be required to announce any collective reports regarding appointees two legislative days prior to their inclusion on the daily agenda. 

Meanwhile, Ibach's proposal — Rule Change 21 — seeks to require that statements of intent for proposed bills be submitted earlier in the legislative session. Currently, bill introducers must provide these statements at least three calendar days before a bill's hearing. The Rules Committee has amended Ibach’s proposal to mandate that these statements be filed within three legislative days after a bill is assigned to a committee by Executive Board members, which is approximately five days following the bill's initial introduction.

State Sen. Loren Lippincott of Central City, who chairs the Rules Committee, announced that the committee will not convene again this week to advance additional rules proposals. Among the proposals not moving forward are those aimed at requiring open votes for legislative leadership, facilitating legislation advancement and curbing filibusters that impede discussions.

Meanwhile, Speaker John Arch of La Vista has arranged for rules debates to take place over the next three mornings, with Lippincott anticipating that the rules proposed by Senators Hansen and Ibach will progress smoothly. Both Arch and Lippincott noted that lawmakers still have the opportunity to propose any rule changes to the Legislature for consideration.

When asked by the Nebraska Examiner if he believed any of those proposals would be brought forward, Lippincott looked up thoughtfully and replied, “Who knows?” It’s important to note that rules debates do not have a defined end point like legislative bill discussions, where senators can push for a cloture motion to conclude debate and vote on the proposal if successful. To terminate discussions on any contentious rule change proposals, lawmakers will need a minimum of 30 votes, rather than a simple majority.

By: Robert Tengker