The Nebraska Legislature won’t be calling a special session aimed at banning mandates for getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
33 senators needed to sign on to have a majority large enough to break a filibuster and only 28 did – a group that includes 2 of the 3 Panhandle senators: Tom Brewer of Gordon and Steve Erdman of Bayard.
Governor Pete Ricketts thanked the 28, all fellow Republicans in the nonpartisan Unicameral, for supporting calling a special session.
Ricketts said there are Nebraskans who are losing their jobs over vaccine mandates and hurting, but won’t be able to get the help they need without a ban on such mandates.
He said “senators that have been holding back need to come together and help the Nebraskans being hurt by vaccine mandates.
Most mandates include an option for frequent, sometimes daily, COVID testing. Health officials say that nationwide, over 95% of patients now hospitalized with COVID have not been vaccinated.