On Feb. 24, 2025, Civic Nebraska Director of Public Policy Heidi Uhing testified in support of LR25CA, which would create a new system for setting and increasing Nebraska state senators’ salaries. Here is her testimony as prepared.
I’m here to support Senator Hansen’s LR25CA. Our organization supports legislation that protects this nonpartisan institution and makes it more representative of Nebraskans. We believe this measure, with Senator Hansen’s amendment, is one of the most important measures before the Legislature this session.
While there is much to be grateful for in how the Unicameral was uniquely structured, our state’s inability to adequately address the problem of senator pay is a bug in the system. When George Norris was advising on the structure of our new Unicameral, he had intended for state senators to be well-paid, advocating for a $2,400 salary in 1934. That would be nearly $58k today.
The idea of an independent legislative salary commission has become a common practice in nearly half of the states. NCSL reports that 22 states, including our neighbors Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, use this method.
The National Council of State Legislatures categorizes legislatures into three categories: full-time, hybrid, and part-time. While the Unicameral was conceived to be a part-time Legislature to ensure that average Nebraskans would serve, NCSL now considers Nebraska a hybrid state, in which legislators devote 74 percent of their full-time jobs to their legislative duties. Of this category, the average legislator’s pay is $41,000.
Close observers of the Legislature know that to do this job well, it is at least a full-time job. We expect senators to give it their all and prioritize their service to the state, but the low pay doesn’t reflect that expectation. We put future senators in a bind who have something to offer our legislative process but need to feed, house, and insure their families.
The breadth and nature of our state’s policy have grown more complex in recent years. These officials determine policy from fiscal policy to health care, criminal justice issues, and modern technology challenges. Due to partisan backlog at the congressional level, more complicated problems are falling to the state legislatures for resolution. The impact of senators’ work on the lives of Nebraskans is arguably greater than that of most well-paid professionals. Senators’ compensation should reflect this level of expertise while considering the late nights, loss of privacy, and sometimes, unfortunately, intimidating threats that modern senators endure.
While some Nebraskans may feel they are getting a good deal by paying their state senators so little, the low pay level means that mostly retired, semi-retired, or independently wealthy Nebraskans can even afford to serve. An imbalance in the body prevents our state’s policy outcomes from truly representing the average Nebraskan’s experience and perspective. Those who manage to serve but still need regular income are usually forced to balance at least one other job, often causing them to use their time at the Legislature to compete outside job duties. Do we want our lawmakers to be distracted by other work or have to balance these potentially competing interests?
Nationwide, the number of legislators averages 148 per state. At just one-third of that number of lawmakers in Nebraska, we have already won the frugality argument. Indeed, because of our small, single house, there is a greater need for each senator to carry their weight and be allowed to give their full attention to the people’s work.
Serving as a state senator is already a sacrifice. The campaign trail is hard, grueling work. Upon their successful election, many senators and their families are surprised to learn just what a time and energy commitment being a legislator proves to be. Even a quick trip to the grocery store in their district can turn into a work meeting. The time away from their families, particularly during the late nights of hearings and floor debate, is already a sacrifice that senators and their families make. We mustn’t also expect them to do so while being paid a fraction of the average Nebraskan’s income to support the household in their absence.
To keep this body working best for us, we need more working-class Nebraskans, more parents, and more diversity of experience. When the pay is better, more candidates can run for these offices, and democracy is strengthened when voters have more choices for who will represent them. Nebraska is an important state with sophisticated policy needs. We need a future of lawmakers whose range of experience is up to the task.
