Capitol Fly on the Wall
Who Has the Final Say – Voters or the Legislature?
Week of March 31, 2025 LB 415 Amendment Undermining Paid Sick Leave advances Late last week, senators narrowly voted to advance LB 415 (Ballard) with committee AM 545, which was the root of opposition for labor unions and groups advocating for workers’ rights. While the underlying bill LB 415 adds
Halfway Done, Remainder of Session to Focus on Priorities
Week of March 24, 2025 Last week we passed a milestone of the halfway point in the 90-day long session, as Monday marked Day 45. The body has been relatively productive in handling the people’s business thus far this year, passing a lot of mostly noncontroversial bills without the substantial
Both Winner-Take-All Bills Advance, Trump Administration Derails Juarez Priority
Week of March 17, 2025 Gig Worker Bill Overcomes Filibuster, Becomes Law LB 229, Sen. Hallstrom’s bill to classify certain gig workers like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash drivers as independent contractors under employment law, passed Final Reading and has been signed into law by the Governor. With exactly the 33
Presidential Pressure Re-centers Winner-Take-All, Priorities Roll In
Week of March 10, 2025 The temperature is starting to rise in your Nebraska Legislature as senators and committees have begun designating their priorities for the session, giving us a picture of what legislators might spend their time debating – other than the budget, which is their only required duty
Minimum Wage Restrictions Advanced, University Fights for Funding University Pleads Against Cuts, Revised Budget Forecast Slightly Rosier
Early last week, all eyes were on the Appropriations Committee as the University of Nebraska geared up to plead its case against Gov. Pillen’s and the committee’s proposed 2% cut to its budget. The University System had requested a 3.5% increase for this budget cycle; instead, it’s on the chopping
Budget Proposals Taking Shape, Competing Time-Change Proposals Advance
Week of February 24, 2025 Dueling Time Change Bills Advance A victor has not yet been declared in the legislative “Time War” between Sen. Hunt’s and Sen. Murman’s competing clock changing proposals, as legislators voted to advance both bills to Select File last week. It was an engaging debate to watch
Ongoing Fight for Consumer Rights, New Attempt to Restrict Abortions, Proposed Policies Would Privilege Corporations
Week of February 17, 2025 As morning floor debate has for the most part chugged steadily along, some have observed a trend emerging in a handful of bills which have been subject to more debate and scrutiny thus far this session: multiple conservative-backed measures that progressives say attempt to tip
Winner-Take All Lacks Key Swing Vote; Anti-Trans Bill Receives Massive Opposition
Week of February 10, 2025 Speaker Arch said last week he’s pleased with the efficient progress the body has been making with advancing bills, allowing for a few later-morning starts due to their getting through much of what’s been available to tackle on the worksheet. That’s likely to change soon: