Capitol Fly on the Wall

Governor Pillen delivered his State of the State address this week, during which he unveiled his tax reduction and school funding package that critics have estimated will quickly eat up all of the state’s $1.2 billion budget surplus. If passed, fiscal analysts say these measures will have the state overcommitted

After the previous week’s marathon hearing on over 58 proposed changes to the legislative rules, senators last week debated seven proposals that were advanced to the floor by the rules committee and eventually adopted the permanent rules with relatively little drama. Perhaps the most publicized and controversial potential change, one

We’re off to the races with what is shaping up to be possibly one of the most contentious legislative sessions of this Fly’s tenure in the Capitol.  With a huge volume of legislative bills, constitutional amendments, and resolutions introduced – nearly 500 – ready or not, legislators will need to

The 108th legislature has officially begun its business, and things look markedly different from last year. 16 new senators have been sworn in, along with a new Clerk (Brandon Metzler, former Assistant Clerk;), a new Speaker (Sen. John Arch of LaVista, formerly Chair of HHS;), and new Committee Chairs.  While

That’s a wrap!  As of last Wednesday, the second session of the 107th legislature has adjourned Sine Die. The term Sine Die translates to “without day” in Latin, and means that the governing body has concluded its business without any more days remaining in this session. With no additional vetoes

We’ve nearly reached the end of the 2022 legislative session. Last week was a short one, with recess days on Thursday and Friday for the Easter Holiday.  Within those three session days: A proposal to allow the concealed carry of firearms without a permit was killed in a heated filibuster

This week was action-packed as a series of late nights continued. It’s somewhat unusual for the Speaker to schedule so many late nights in a row at this point in the session, and it’s showing in the burned-out demeanor of the body. This has been necessary, the Speaker has said,

It was a jam-packed week in the Legislature as lawmakers scramble to squeeze in high-profile policy changes before the session concludes. The Governor vetoed the bill to force Nebraska to apply for Emergency Rental Assistance as expected; a whopping tax relief package was revived; and the fate of a key