2018 Nebraska legislative session
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| 2018 legislative sessions coverage |
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| Nebraska State Senate | |
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| General Information | |
| Party control: | Republican |
| Session start: | January 3, 2018 |
| Session end: | April 18, 2018 |
| Term length: | 4 years |
| Term limits: | 2 terms (8 years) |
| Redistricting: | Legislative control |
| Salary: | $12,000/year + per diem |
| Members | |
| Total: | 49 |
| Democrats: | 16 |
| Republicans: | 30 |
| Other: | 1 (Independent) 1 (Libertarian) |
| Vacancies: | 1 |
| Leadership | |
| President: | Jim Scheer (R) |
| Elections | |
During 2018, Ballotpedia tracked notable stories from the Nebraska State Senate, the unicameral legislative branch of the Nebraska state government. The timeline on this page shows the major events that we tracked during 2018, including events in the regular session and in any special sessions that occurred after the regular session adjourned.
If you know of any additional events that should be added to this page, please email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Overview
In 2018, the Nebraska State Senate was in session from January 3, 2018, through April 18, 2018.
Partisan control
Nebraska was one of 26 Republican state government trifectas in 2018. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.
The following table shows the partisan breakdown of the Nebraska State Senate in the 2018 legislative session.
| Party | As of July 2018 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 16 | |
| Republican Party | 30 | |
| Independent | 1 | |
| Libertarian Party | 1 | |
| Vacancy | 1 | |
| Total | 49 | |
Regular session
Status of legislation at the end of the regular session
This table details the status of legislation covered on this page at the end of the regular session.
| Status of legislation at the end of the 2018 regular session | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Legislation | Subject area | Actions during the regular session | Status at the end of the regular session |
| LB 1090 | Adjusting state and local taxes | Passed Senate |
Governor signed |
April 11, 2018
Senate approves bill adjusting state and local taxes
The Nebraska State Senate unanimously approved LB 1090, a bill to adjust individual income tax brackets and the personal exemption credit, and establish that the standard deduction be based on the Consumer Price Index - All Urban Consumers published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Bill sponsor Sen. Jim Smith (R) wrote in a statement of intent:[1]
| “ | LB 1090 would restore the $134 personal exemption credit that was effectively repealed by the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The bill also establishes the Nebraska standard deduction as $6,750 for single taxpayers and $9,900 for head-of-household filers. The standard deductions for married, filing jointly returns is double the standard deduction for single returns. The additional amounts for age or blindness are $1,300 for married taxpayers and $1,600 for single or head-of-household taxpayers.[2] | ” |
Sen. Bob Krist (D) expressed concerns that the bill might have a negative impact on state revenues. Renee Fry, executive director of the OpenSky Policy Institute, echoed those concerns: "LB1090 leaves no margin of error should the federal cuts have a negative impact on state revenues."[3] The OpenSky Policy Institute describes itself as a "non-partisan organization dedicated to fiscal research and analysis."[4] Read more here.
- Update: The governor signed LB 1090 on April 17, 2018.
April 17, 2018
Gov. Ricketts signs tax adjustment bill into law
Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts signed LB 1090. A press release from the governor's website said the bill was meant to "ease the tax burden on Nebraskans and make key adjustments to Nebraska’s tax code in light of federal tax reform." LB 1090 restored personal tax exemptions that were eliminated by the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and adjusted the individual income tax brackets, personal exemption credit, and standard deduction.[5] Read more here.
Noteworthy events
Sexual misconduct in the state capitol
- Supreme Court Judge Max Kelch: Kelch announced his resignation on January 23, 2018, saying in a letter to Gov. Pete Ricketts (R), "After much deliberation, I have decided it is best for my family to submit my resignation."[6] Following his announcement, the Omaha World-Herald reported that his departure was related to sexual misconduct. It published a report on February 6, where two unnamed officials said that the allegations against Kelch were related to the national #MeToo movement that was drawing more attention to allegations of sexual misconduct. The World-Herald also interview two unnamed women who said that Kelch had made sexually suggestive remarks to them in the past.
Legislatively referred constitutional amendments
In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.
The methods by which the Nebraska Constitution can be amended:
| Nebraska Constitution |
|---|
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| Preamble |
| Articles |
| I • II • III • IV • V • VI • VII • VIII • IX • X • XI • XII • XIII • XIV • XV • XVI • XVII • XVIII |
Nebraska offers three different paths to amending its constitution:
- The legislature can propose legislatively referred constitutional amendments, which are defined in Section 1 of Article XVI.
- Sixty percent of the members of the state legislature must vote for the proposed amendment.
- The legislature can call a special statewide election to present the proposed amendment to the voters if 80 percent of the members of the state legislature vote for any such special election.
- If no special election is called, the proposed amendment must go on the next general election ballot that includes elections for members of the state legislature.
- The amendment becomes part of the constitution if a majority of those voting on the measure vote for it and if it wins favorable votes from at least 35 percent of those voting in the election for any office.
- A constitutional convention can be held to "revise, amend, or change" the constitution if 60 percent of Nebraska's legislators agree to put a question about whether to have such a convention before the state's voters.
- A convention is held if the question wins by a majority vote as long as those voting in favor equal at least 35 percent of those voting in the election.
- Voters must ratify amendments or revisions proposed by the convention.
- An initiated constitutional amendment can be used by the state's citizens to propose constitutional amendments.
- The rules for this are set out in Sections 2 and 4 of Article III.
- The number of signatures required to qualify an amendment for the ballot is 10 percent of the state's registered voters.
See also
| Elections | Nebraska State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Nebraska Legislature, "Introducer's Statement of Intent, LB1090," February 7, 2018
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Columbus Telegram, "Tax adjustment bill approved, sparks some revenue concerns," April 11, 2018
- ↑ OpenSky Policy Institute, "History and Mission," accessed April 12, 2018
- ↑ Office of the Governor Pete Ricketts, "Gov. Ricketts Signs Tax Relief for Nebraskans on National Tax Day," April 18, 2018
- ↑ Lincoln Journal-Star, "Justice Max Kelch resigns from Nebraska Supreme Court," January 24, 2018
