The Nebraska Legislature yesterday adopted the permanent rules that will govern the legislative process this year and next.
Testimony was presented on nearly 60 proposed changes in an 8-hour public hearing last week, but the Rules Committee brought only 7 of them to floor debate and those were mostly technical in nature.
The proposed change considered the most controversial, requiring public votes instead of secret ballots to elect the speaker and committee chairs, was not among those sent forward.
Rules Chairman Steve Erdman of Bayard says the panel brought to the floor only the proposals it felt would be “most readily accepted” by lawmakers, allowing the session to move forward and not get bogged down by extended, multi-day debate.
One proposal that didn’t make it to the floor but was debated anyway was Senator Machaela Cavanaugh’s to ban guns inside the Capitol. She said it would make many staff and visitors more comfortable and aid law enforcement.
43rd District Senator Tom Brewer of Gordon, a decorated combat veteran, accused Cavanaugh of trying to undermine the 2nd Amendment.
Brewer’s measure to let Nebraskans carry concealed weapons without a permit is scheduled for a committee hearing next week.
He also suggested Cavanaugh’s proposal to let only law enforcement and military personnel have guns in the Capitol is impractical.
Cavanaugh’s proposal was defeated 32-7, but she’s introduced a bill making the same change so the issue isn’t dead.