LINCOLN — Nebraska’s 2024 rules fight drew interest Monday over a foundational issue: which senators could speak in what situations and for how long until a majority votes. A smaller-than-expected crowd attended Monday’s public hearing, in part because of snowy weather. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)
The Rules Committee’s public hearing touched on several topics, including whether the officially nonpartisan Legislature should continue the tradition of voting e for its leaders by secret ballot.
As expected, the future of the filibuster dominated discussions about 34 proposed changes after a 2023 legislative session marked by controversial bills and a nearly session-long series of filibusters aimed at stopping them.
Slippery roads across much of the state during Monday’s snowstorm likely limited the number of in-person testifiers to about a dozen. The committee received another 230 public comments online by midday.
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Majority rules vs. minority rights
Two themes emerged: Many of those commenting opposed wholesale changes to the Legislature’s rules, urging senators to protect the unique traditions of the Unicameral body.
And some argued for making it harder for a single senator or two to derail a legislative session because they oppose a bill and using the Legislature’s rules to do so.
Nathan Leach of Kearney, representing himself and Nonpartisan Nebraska, which advocates protecting the Legislature’s nonpartisan approach, spoke about the need for measured changes. He warned of potential consequences of restricting free and full debate.
Retired University of Nebraska-Lincoln journalism professor Charlyne Berens, who wrote a book on the Unicameral, opposed changing the Legislature’s election of leaders to a public vote.
She wrote in an online comment that the secret ballot tradition “has worked well for decades.” She said it lets senators make decisions about who would be the best leaders above political considerations.
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State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard, at left, discusses rules changing proposals during a public hearing Monday at the Capitol. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)
Allie French of Nebraskans Against Government Overreach and a legislative candidate in District 23,argued the opposite, saying all votes should be public so voters can hold state lawmakers accountable for votes that partisans might dislike.
She and other testifiers supported a change to give the public access to more digestible summaries of what bills would do at least five days before a public hearing instead of the current one-day rule.
Erdman’s proposals
Nancy Finken, Nebraska Public Media’s chief information officer and a representative of Media of Nebraska, defended reporters’ access to attend legislative committees’ executive sessions.
State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard, chairman of the Rules Committee, has been trying to ban reporters from such sessions for seven years. He argued Monday that reporters are not allowed to attend executive sessions at any other level of government.
Erdman’s sweeping package of rules changes generated the most opposition Monday. Some of those testifying expressed concerns that his proposals tilted too far toward majority rule and away from providing minority rights.
His most controversial proposal would shift the required number of votes needed to overcome a filibuster to a sliding scale based on how many senators vote on a particular bill.
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Erdman said the Legislature’s rulebook needs a fuller rewrite. He has said the current rules let the minority stop too many bills proposed by conservatives.
Unicameral experts have argued that the late Sen. George Norris, “father” of Nebraska’s one-house Legislature, designed his system to cool the passions of the majority and encourage moderate public policy so it is accepted by more Nebraskans.
Arch’s proposals
State Sen. Justin Wayne and Speaker John Arch discuss one of Wayne’s rules proposals Monday in Lincoln. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)
No one testified in person against a rules package from Speaker John Arch. Senators who spoke to the Nebraska Examiner last week praised Arch and Erdman for sharing their proposals early.
A proposal by Arch to let a senator seek cloture votes (or end debate) on motions as well as when bills are being debated received little public pushback Monday.
Arch also proposed codifying limits that senators adopted last year limiting the number of priority motions a senator can file and then withdraw from a single bill during each round of debate.
State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha proposed tweaking Arch’s proposal limiting priority motions to make sure his Arch’s concerns about filibusters don’t limit legitimate disagreements.
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Arch said he and Cavanaugh would continue to talk. The committee has an executive session set for 10 a.m. Tuesday to discuss the proposals and what they took away from the hearing.
Handful of other ideas
State Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha explained the reason why he proposed requiring senators to vote yes or no during the final reading of bills, pointing to the Nebraska Constitution. He also poked fun at himself, because he has himself voted “present, not voting.”
State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair faced questions from lawmakers about his proposal to limit senators to introducing no more than 14 bills a year and letting senators select a second priority bill when they propose five or fewer bills. Speaker John Arch discusses his package of legislative rules proposals. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)
“The question I ask is, are we sacrificing quality for quantity?” Hansen said.
State Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Bennington and State Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln, who sit on the Rules Committee, asked what Hansen would do about productive lawmakers who pass double-digit bills in a given year.
Hansen said some would be able to pass off some of their “technical clean-up” bills to committees. DeBoer wondered aloud whether his idea might encourage more combined bills to skirt the limit.
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Clerk of the Legislature Brandon Metzler spent much of the day testifying in a neutral capacity, answering lawmakers’ questions about the impacts of specific proposals and possible changes.
Heidi Uhing of Civic Nebraska praised Erdman and the Rules Committee and staff for making it easier to comment publicly online. She applauded their efforts to publicize all the proposals in one place on the Legislature’s website.
She also warned senators about the risks of tinkering with the cloture process. She said a rural state that is growing more urban and suburban might want to maintain minority members an opportunity to slow legislation down they disagree with.
“Nebraskans continue to believe that the Unicameral’s nonpartisan structure makes it more effective at problem-solving than a partisan Legislature,” Uhing said.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Alexis Markowski scored 22 points, Natalie Potts had a double-double and No. 21 Nebraska cruised to an 84-58 win over Southern on Tuesday night.
Potts had 17 points and 12 rebounds, eight on the offensive end, for the Cornhuskers (3-0). Alberte Rimdal added 12 points.
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Aniya Gourdine scored 22 points for the Jaguars (0-4), who have played the hardest opening schedule in the country. Their other losses were to Top 10 teams Oklahoma and Iowa State as well as Missouri and head to Colorado for their next game.
Nebraska only led 15-13 after one quarter and closed the second with a 10-0 run to lead 36-26 at halftime. The Cornhuskers had an early 7-0 run in the third quarter, which ended with an 8-0 for a 61-43 lead.
Nebraska had a 46-26 rebounding advantage and was a plus-20 inside. The Cornhuskers also went 25 of 36 from the foul line while the Jaguars were 6 of 10.
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The 4-5 USC Trojans face the 5-4 Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday, and the Trojans are making a quarterback change and attempting to become bowl eligible. The Cornhuskers are just one win away from bowl eligibility but have made changes of their own on the offensive side of the ball.
Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule spoke in the weekly press conference about the matchup with USC. The Nebraska quarterback starting against the Trojans is still up in the air. Rhule said the team will see how quarterback Dylan Raiola is doing but is preparing Heinrich Haarberg.
When asked about how the team is preparing both quarterbacks with their different playing styles, Rhule’s response remained ambiguous.
Sep 28, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule high fives quarterback Heinrich Haarberg (10) during the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
“That’s why I’m not gonna let anybody talk to you guys tomorrow because you guys are really good at your jobs, and I appreciate that,” Rhule said.
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While speaking about Nebraska’s quarterback situation, Rhule changed the conversation to having to prepare for a new USC quarterback. Jayden Maiava will be making his first start for USC but has played numerous games in his career while at UNLV.
“We’re sitting here trying to figure what to do with, you know, they’ve changed the quarterback. You know, we’re watching UNLV film and spring film and all that,” Rhule said.
Rhule expanded on the challenges of preparing for Maiava. While there is film on him, Maiava has not played much under the USC offensive scheme.
“It’s sort of the same thing, right? You’re sitting there looking at, you know, what do they do well, and they do a lot well.” Rhule said. “Maiava, you know, he has the ability to move.”
Sep 20, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule talks with officials after an interception during the second quarter against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
Rhule also spoke about how well USC coach Lincoln Riley utilizes the run game each week. The Nebraska coach spoke highly about Trojans running back Woody Marks, who has been having a strong season.
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“The tailback is, I mean, like all Lincoln Riley offenses, you know, Marks is a fantastic tailback. He’s explosive, dynamic. They’re, you know, I’ve coached against Coach Riley for a long time. He’s going to find a way to run the football. He’s elite at what he does,” Rhule said. “Even in the last game against Washington, they got back in the game by just running the football at a high level.”
Rhule then spoke about the Trojans’ receiving core, highlighting wide receiver Zachariah Branch and his ability as the slot receiver.
“Branch is, you know, excellent excellent excellent slot,” Rhule said. “They have some guys that can really go on the outside.”
USC’s offensive weapons make it more challenging for Nebraska to defend the offense. Being able to run the ball well and now having Maiava’s ability to run is difficult to contain. If USC gets the run game going early, that could open the passing game.
Aug 31, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule reacts during the second quarter against the UTEP Miners at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
“Now as a defense, you’re having to defend the counter and the tackle trap and all these plays that they run. Plus, the opportunity for the quarterback to pull the ball and run because he, you know, he’s a dual threat player,” Rhule said. “And you don’t know exactly which direction they’re going to go with him.”
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The Nebraska fanbase is a loyal one. Rhule closed speaking to the media giving the Nebraska fanbase credit on the road, and how it will help them against USC.
“I think the impact of our fans on the road always is elite,” Rhule said. “When they do show up in mass it limits the need for the silent cadences and all the things that make being on the road hard.”
The USC Trojans and Nebraska Cornhuskers will kick off at 1 p.m. PT in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
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Former South Carolina Gamecock offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield demoted at Nebraska.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers have had a bit of an up and down season this year and head coach Matt Rhule announced a coaching change. Former South Carolina Gamecock offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield has been demoted and long-time college coach Dana Holgorsen will take over the play calling duties.
Satterfield was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at South Carolina during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He has since been the offensive coordinator at Nebraska, but now is just the tight ends coach as of this week.
Nebraska this season ranks 99th in points per game averaging just 23.6 per game. They also rank 96th for total offense as they are averaging 354.1 yards per game. Holgorsen was a long-time head coach at West Virginia throughout the 2010s, was head coach at Houston from 2019-2023 and most recently was a scout and advisor at TCU this season.
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During Satterfield’s time at South Carolina, the Gamecocks averaged 22.6 points per game in 2021 and then 32.2 points per game in 2022. Satterfield would then resign from his position with the Gamecocks during the 2022 season before the team’s bowl game against Notre Dame.
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