A More Robust Debate Most of the legislation that has made its way onto the floor of the Legislature has thus far been without controversy and has received broad, often unanimous, support from the body. That changed somewhat at the end of last week as the Legislature began debating LB66 (Hansen, M.),
Sometimes there is Crying in Legislating With the Legislature’s quick adoption of permanent rules and all of this session’s bills having been introduced, most of the interesting events last week took place in the Capitol hearing rooms. Senators and staff on the Judiciary Committee are already putting in late hours. Hearings lasted well into
A Sprint or Marathon? For legislative staff, the beginning of session always feels like a sprint as you work on last-minute bills, revise drafts and get organized for the hearing season. A number of staff, including our heroes in the Reviser of Statutes office, have put in long days and worked every
The Nonpartisan Unicameral A spirit of collegiality was present as the 106th Nebraska Legislature convened this week and elected several progressive or moderate committee chairs. More favorable committee memberships will also give progressives increased opportunities to get legislation to the floor and keep unwanted bills from advancing. The environment couldn’t have been different from
Time to Fly The Capitol is abuzz with intrigue as session begins Wednesday. Your Capitol Fly on the Wall (which is me, if you are just tuning in), has been buzzing about the Capitol. I am ready to offer some wall-to-wall reporting. I will provide weekly updates throughout session to
The Interim Approaches As the Nebraska Legislature prepares to adjourn Sine Die Wednesday, the pace around the Capitol is already starting to get less hurried. That’s not to suggest that senators and staff don’t work during the interim. However, the work takes on a different tone as returning senators and
Line in the Sand Drama erupted in the Nebraska Legislature as senators drew a line in the sand to continue funding for health clinics that serve women and rural Nebraskans. The Legislature previously advanced the mainline budget bill, LB944, to Select File with language stating that “no funds disbursed under
An Exhausting Week The Nebraska Legislature had its first late night of the session last week as Senators battled over the budget. Debate lasted six hours and was devoted almost entirely to the issue of Title X funding for women’s health clinics that provide preventative health care services to women
Digging in for a Fight Some Capitol insiders have described the upcoming legislative week as the one that could “blow up” the session. This is because the budget bills will be up for debate Tuesday, following the release of last week’s Appropriations Committee Budget Report. It will be déjà vu
Spring Awakening The weather isn’t the only thing warming up. So is the George Norris Legislative Chamber. With all-day floor debate in full bloom, priority bills selected and late nights about to begin, the Nebraska Legislature will soon be debating some of its most high-profile and contentious issues. Front and
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