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Rules changes: red flags at the statehouse

On Thursday, Jan. 16, the Nebraska Legislature’s Rules Committee will hold a hearing on 24 proposed changes to the legislative rules. These internal procedures govern how the Legislature conducts itself throughout the session. The proposed changes are wide-ranging, and many of them are efforts that we’ve seen before to erode the integrity of our unique nonpartisan unicameral system of government.

State Sen. Loren Lippincott, the Rules Committee chairperson, has introduced several concerning measures. They include:

Rule changes 8 and 9: weaken vote thresholds for cloture to end a filibuster

In a representative body like the Nebraska Legislature, minority voices must be protected and honored as part of the governing process. Changing the rules to strengthen the majority silences senators who represent hundreds of thousands of Nebraskans statewide – Nebraskans whose voices deserve to be heard at the Capitol.

Rule change 11: eliminate the secret ballot for internal leadership elections

Keeping these ballots private – just as our ballots are private when we go to the polls – lets senators vote for who they truly believe will do the job best. Were these votes public, senators would be subjected to additional partisan pressure to support whichever candidate is a member of the same party, regardless of skills and qualifications. This rule is a critical piece of the Legislature’s nonpartisanship tradition that maximizes its effectiveness.

Rule change 12: ban the media from covering executive sessions of legislative committees

This change would remove an essential opportunity for journalists to view the discussion of bills and provide context for their readers, listeners, and viewers. 

Rule change 17: eliminate the requirement of party balance on the Redistricting Committee

The process to draw new district lines after every 10-year U.S. Census is already as partisan and contentious as it gets. Removing the requirement for equal representation on the committee that does this work will only lead to more gerrymandering of districts and manipulation of election outcomes. 

Rule change 22: another proposal from Sen. Kathleen Kauth to reduce the threshold for cloture to end a filibuster

The hearing on these and dozens of other rules change proposals is scheduled for 1:30 pm CST this Thursday, Jan. 16, in Hearing Room 1525 at the State Capitol. Please submit your public comment on individual proposals by noon on Thursday.

As always, as a member of the Legislature’s “Second House,” you are welcome to attend the hearing and testify on any or all of the changes. Meanwhile, we’ll keep tabs on the hearing and report back with the package of proposals that the committee sends to the floor for consideration next week. We’ll need your help informing the newly elected senators on preserving these critical legislative traditions and norms.

You can follow the bills Civic Nebraska is tracking and our legislative priorities with our Nebraska Legislature Bill Tracker

Thanks for all you do to create a more modern and robust democracy for all Nebraskans.

Heidi Uhing
Director of Public Policy
Civic Nebraska