Nebraska lawmakers mingle with newly elected State Sen. Ashlei Spivey of North Omaha. She and others elected in November were sworn into office Wednesday — the first day of the 2025 legislative session. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)
LINCOLN — The conservative stronghold on the officially nonpartisan Nebraska Legislature became clearer Wednesday, as state lawmakers chose Republicans for the top leadership spots on all but one of 17 key legislative committees.
The lone Democrat elected to a chair position was State Sen. Terrell McKinney — and he ran unopposed in his bid to preside over the Urban Affairs Committee for two more years.
In the couple of races when a Republican competed against another Republican for a committee chair, the lawmaker with the more conservative voting record won. (Republicans this year again hold 33 of 49 seats in the Legislature, the exact size of supermajority needed to break filibusters and advance often contentious legislation. Democrats number at 15, and one state lawmaker is a progressive nonpartisan.)
State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln is among Democrats who lost bids to chair key legislative committees. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)
In yet another contested race, the longest current tenured senator, Democrat Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, lost to the youngest member of the Legislature, Republican Beau Ballard, to preside over the Nebraska Retirement Systems. Also of Lincoln, Ballard served two years as a gubernatorial appointee before being elected in November to his first full term.
This will be Ballard’s first year on the Retirement Systems Committee, which Conrad has served on for four years. He won on a 25-24 vote.
Why do committee chairs matter?
Chairs help steer legislation through their respective committees, scheduling hearings and later votes to advance proposals to the full Legislature. This can sometimes be critical to the survivability of different measures. Any senator can throw their name into the ring for the chairs, or they can be nominated from the floor.
State Sen. Merv Riepe, a moderate Republican from Ralston, said he hoped the Legislature’s ideological divide “does not grind us down” to partisanship when dealing with broader legislative matters.
“This has all the makings for being a contentious session,” said Riepe, who was defeated in his quest to preside over the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee. State Sen. Brian Hardin of Gering, also a Republican, won 28-21.
Perhaps the day’s most sparks came as State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward faced off with State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil for the chair of the Education Committee. Both are Republican.
Hughes, who had served four years in Seward on its school board, said she had no ill will against Murman and that her decision to compete was out of passion for education and school finance reform.
State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward lays out why her colleagues should elect her a chair of the Legislature’s Education Committee. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)
She said others told her it was against “political norms” to challenge an incumbent Republican for chair. To her colleagues, Hughes also asked if the Legislature has become a “union environment,” where time served in a position is the key determinant that matters.
“I thought, ‘This is garbage. I’m going to put my name in,’” she said.
Murman won on a 29-20 vote. He served as chair the previous two years and underscored his work to reduce state talent “brain drain” with more scholarships and internship programs.
Much of the first day of the 2025 legislative session was pomp and circumstance, as one-third of the 49-member Legislature was newly sworn in, along with many of their returning colleagues, following the November election. A crowd including family members and friends of the legislators filled the Unicameral, snapping photos and congratulating new and returning state senators.
State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha sits with children Jack, William and Lucy during the opening day of the 2025 legislative session, which drew many family and friends. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)
Former State Sen. Brenda Council of Omaha was among them and remarked about the diversity in the freshman class.
State Sen. Margo Juarez of South Omaha is believed to be the first Latina elected to the body. State Sen. Dunixi Guereca, also of Omaha, is the son of Mexican immigrants.
State Sen. Victor Rountree of Bellevue and State Sen. Ashlei Spivey of Omaha joined McKinney to be the most Black lawmakers the Legislature has had, said Council. Council in 2009, along with Tanya Cook, became the first two elected African-American women to serve in the Legislature.
“It’s historically diverse,” Council said of the current Legislature.
Guereca on Wednesday was named chair of the Enrollment and Review Committee. It’s a committee, however, that has no competitive race, as the chair traditionally goes to the youngest member of the incoming freshman legislative class, which this year is him.
Despite the partisan showing in committee chair elections, Guereca said he has felt ”nothing but acceptance and welcomed” by his legislative colleagues.
Speaker John Arch of La Vista. Aug. 17, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)
“I’m optimistic we’ll have a good and productive session,” he said.
Also re-elected to a second term as Speaker of the Legislature was John Arch of La Vista, who was unopposed.
He said he has tried to avoid stifling voices and has strived for transparency.
“I’ll be the first to admit there were challenges along the way,” he said of his first term.
Arch said his goal again will be to “cultivate a culture that allows for productive debate and decision-making.”
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