Nebraska legislature continues debate on unicameral rules

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – It may be a while before Nebraska lawmakers can start tackling bills. So far, the 2024 legislative session has been center on changing the way the unicameral operates.

This is the same legislature who changed the rules in the middle of last year’s session, trying to limit a filibuster from Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha.

Some of the rule changes would limit some of the tools in the toolbox for the minority party to slow down the debate.

Last year, Sen. Cavanaugh, who’s a Democrat, vowed to filibuster the entire session because she felt her colleagues, the Republican majority, were disrespecting Nebraskans and women over abortion access and healthcare for trans youth.

“You were harmful, you were cruel, and you were malicious” Sen. Cavanaugh said Thursday in regard to this latest proposed rule change. “So yeah, I want Mama Bear. I made a plan and executed the plan, and then after that, you all decided we can’t have that happen again.”

Republicans are close to a supermajority in the legislature. The speaker says his rule changes are about fine-tuning the changes from last session.

Opponents of the bigger rule changes say that in a one-chamber unicameral, it’s important to have these guardrails so the minority party has a voice and doesn’t get steamrolled by majority rule.

”One day, there’s going to be a bill that someone disagrees with and you’re going to slow it down, stop it, and not let it pass,” said Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha. “But if we make this change, it makes it much easier to pass. I’m not saying it will pas, but changing the rules makes it easier to pass.”

Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln told 6 News that overall, the rules debate has been thoughtful and productive thus far, and gives credit to speaker Sen. John Arch for guiding that.

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