Nebraska Legislature

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Nebraska Legislature

Type Unicameral
Speaker Mike Flood,  
since January 3, 2007
Members 49
Political groups Nonpartisan
Last elections November 7, 2006
Meeting place Nebraska State Capitol, Lincoln, Nebraska
Web site http://www.leg.ne.gov/
The "Unicameral" convenes at the Nebraska State Capitol.
The "Unicameral" convenes at the Nebraska State Capitol.

The Nebraska Legislature is the U.S. state of Nebraska's legislative branch. The Legislature meets in the Nebraska State Capitol at Lincoln. It is unique in that it is the only American state legislature that is unicameral and nonpartisan. However, territorial legislatures such as the Legislature of the Virgin Islands, the Legislature of Guam, and the Council of the District of Columbia are similarly unicameral.

Contents

[edit] History

Nebraska originally operated under a bicameral legislature. Over time, defects in the bicameral system became apparent. Bills were lost because the two houses could not agree on a single version, and conference committees that were created to reconcile different versions of bills often met in secret, and were thus unaccountable for their actions. After a trip to Australia in 1931,[1] George Norris campaigned for reform, arguing that the bicameral system was based on the inherently undemocratic British House of Lords, and that it was pointless to have two bodies of people doing the same thing and hence wasting money. He specifically pointed to the example of the Parliament for the Australian state of Queensland, which had adopted a unicameral parliament nearly ten years earlier.[2] In 1934, a constitutional amendment was passed revoking the House of Representatives and adding all its former duties to the Senate (the amendment was on the same ballot as an amendment that legalized betting on horse races[citation needed]. Some historians[who?] speculate that this coincidence may have aided its passage in Omaha, where the unicameral issue was not a pressing one, but horse racing was. It is speculated that gambling interests campaigned for yes votes on both to assure that the horse racing amendment would pass). The new unicameral Legislature met for the first time in 1937. Though the name of the body is formally the "Nebraska Legislature," its members are commonly referred to as "Senators". In Nebraska, the Legislature is also often simply known as "The Unicameral".

[edit] Selection, composition and operation

The Legislature comprises forty-nine members, chosen by a single-member district or constituency. Senators are chosen for four-year terms, with one-half of the seats up for election every second year. No person may be a senator unless he or she is a qualified voter, over the age of twenty-one, and a resident of his or her district for at least one year. Currently, senators are limited by law to two terms. Senators earn $12,000 a year.

Members are selected in nonpartisan elections. Rather than separate primaries held to choose Republican, Democratic, and other partisan contenders for a seat, Nebraska uses a single nonpartisan primary election, in which the top two vote-getters are entitled to run in the general election. There are no formal party alignments or groups within the Legislature. Coalitions tend to form issue by issue based on a member's philosophy of government, geographic background, and constituency. However, almost all the members of the legislature are affiliated with the state affiliate of either the Democratic or the Republican party and both parties explicitly endorse candidates for legislative seats. The unofficial partisan makeup of the Nebraska Legislature is 31 Republicans, 15 Democrats, and 3 Independents

Sessions of the Nebraska Legislature last for 90 working days in odd-numbered years and 60 working days in even-numbered years. The Speaker presides over the Legislature in the absence of the Lieutenant Governor, but the day-to-day matters of the body are dealt with by the Executive Board. The Board includes the Speaker, a chairperson, a vice-chairperson, and six other senators. The chairperson and vice-chairperson are chosen for two-year terms by the Legislature as a whole. Senators are classified into three geographically-based "caucuses"; each caucus elects two board members. Finally, the chairman of the Appropriations Committee serves, but cannot vote on any matter, and can only speak on fiscal matters.

[edit] General powers

The Legislature is responsible for law-making in the state, but the Governor has the power to veto any bill. The Legislature may override the governor's veto by a vote of three-fifths (30) of its members. The Legislature also has the power, by a three-fifths vote, to propose constitutional amendments to the voters, who then decide upon it through a referendum.

[edit] Membership

Note: The Nebraska Legislature is nonpartisan; members' party affiliations are for informational purposes only.

Nebraska legislative districts.
Nebraska legislative districts.
Omaha-area legislative districts.
Omaha-area legislative districts.
Lincoln-area legislative districts.
Lincoln-area legislative districts.
Affiliation Members
  Republican Party 31
  Democratic Party 15
  Independent
 3
 Total
 49
 Majority
 16

Each member represents about 35,000 people.

District Senator Home
  1 Lavon Heidemann Elk Creek
  2 Dave Pankonin Louisville
  3 Gail Kopplin Gretna
  4 Pete Pirsch Omaha
  5 Don Preister Bellevue
  6 John E. Nelson Omaha
  7 John Synowiecki Omaha
  8 Tom White Omaha
  9 Gwen Howard Omaha
  10 Mike Friend Omaha
  11 Ernie Chambers Omaha
  12 Steve Lathrop Omaha
  13 Lowen Kruse Omaha
  14 Tim Gay Papillion
  15 Ray Janssen Nickerson
  16 Kent Rogert Tekamah
  17 L. Patrick Engel South Sioux City
  18 Scott Lautenbaugh Omaha
  19 Mike Flood* Norfolk
  20 Brad Ashford Omaha
  21 Carol Hudkins Malcolm
  22 Arnie Stuthman Platte Center
  23 Chris Langemeier Schuyler
  24 Greg L. Adams York
  25 Ron Raikes Lincoln
  26 Amanda McGill Lincoln
  27 DiAnna Schimek Lincoln
  28 Bill Avery Lincoln
  29 Tony Fulton Lincoln
  30 Norm Wallman Cortland
  31 Rich Pahls Omaha
  32 Russ Karpisek Wilber
  33 Carroll Burling Kenesaw
  34 Annette M. Dubas Fullerton
  35 Ray Aguilar Grand Island
  36 John Wightman Lexington
  37 Joel T. Johnson Kearney
  38 Tom Carlson Holdrege
  39 Dwite Pedersen Omaha
  40 Cap Dierks Ewing
  41 Vickie D. McDonald St. Paul
  42 Tom Hansen North Platte
  43 Deb Fischer Valentine
  44 Mark R. Christensen Imperial
  45 Abbie Cornett Bellevue
  46 Danielle Nantkes Lincoln
  47 Philip Erdman Bayard
  48 John N. Harms Scottsbluff
  49 LeRoy J. Louden Ellsworth

*Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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