A Lincoln lawmaker was elected to serve as speaker of the Legislature on Wednesday, the first day of the 2021 session.
Sen. Mike Hilgers will be responsible for setting the Legislature's calendar and daily agenda and prioritizing legislation for debate for the next two years.
In a floor speech, Hilgers told his colleagues he would strive to open lines of communication between senators, and provide full and fair debate on issues that come before the Legislature this year.
Hilgers asked senators to rise above a political discourse that has put more emphasis on tearing others down rather than working together on issues, and said the Legislature is a unique tool that works on behalf of Nebraskans.
"When this place works right, there is nothing like it in the country," he said.
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He was the only senator who sought the position, and was elected by acclamation rather than by secret ballot.
The speaker is also responsible for presiding over the Legislature in the absence of the lieutenant governor and smoothing over differences to advance bills.
Hilgers, who won reelection to District 21 representing northwest Lincoln and Lancaster County in November, succeeds Sen. Jim Scheer of Norfolk, who served as speaker for four years before being forced out of the Legislature because of term limits.
The registered Republican will become just the third Lincoln lawmaker to serve as speaker since the unicameral system was put into place in 1937, and the first since Roland Luedtke held that position in 1977-78, the 85th legislative session.
Sen. Matt Williams of Gothenburg, who ran for the leadership position against Scheer in 2019, did not seek election this session.
The start of the 2021 session was noticeably different than in previous years when the first day of the Nebraska Legislature takes on a more celebratory air.
Lawmakers are typically joined on the floor by proud parents, spouses and children, posing for pictures at their desks or with their name on the vote board at the front of the chamber.
Colleagues greet one another with handshakes, hugs and conversations about the work to come tackling matters both big and small.
But that's under normal circumstances.
This year, masked senators — with some exceptions — greeted one another with elbow bumps or pats on the backs.
Instead of joining senators on the floor to share in a proud moment, families sat socially distanced in the balconies, straining like the members of the media sitting across from them to watch the action below.
Still, the start to the 90-day session was filled with the same optimistic rhetoric that colored previous legislative terms.
In a prayer to start the day, Williams implored lawmakers to "open our minds to new ideas, open our hearts to new friendships and open ourselves to new beginnings."
"Let something simple or striking bring on a new discovery or new solution," he said.
He added that senators should build relationships and find common ground to work together this year.
Hilgers urged senators to "put our eye to the horizon" and chart a course for the state's future.
Charting that course to the future also began Wednesday, as lawmakers selected committee leaders who will help set lawmakers' agenda for the next two years.
Many committee chairs were retained for another session, but lawmakers did shake up leadership on a few committees.
Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont will now chair the Education Committee after defeating Sen. Mike Groene of North Platte in secret ballot voting.
Groene touted his leadership on the committee over the last four years as helping provide equitable treatment between the state's largest and smallest school districts, adding his time as chair was not as partisan as his critics claimed.
Walz, a former school teacher, said education was "key to strengthening our economy and providing opportunities for people who make Nebraska home."
After the first ballot, Walz and Groene were tied at 24 votes apiece — one senator apparently submitted a blank vote — which triggered a second vote.
On the second ballot, Walz received 25 votes — the threshold needed — to Groene's 23 votes. One lawmaker still, apparently, submitted a blank vote.
Other leaders were also chosen. Sen. Dan Hughes of Venango was elected leader of the Executive Board, while Omaha Sen. Tony Vargas won election as vice chair over Sen. Julie Slama of Peru.
Sen. Bruce Bostelman of Brainard is the new chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, taking over a position previously held by Hughes.
Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair defeated Lincoln Sen. Matt Hansen, who was committee chair the last two years, to lead the Business and Labor Committee.
Sen. John Arch of Papillion takes over as chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, replacing the term-limited Sen. Sara Howard.
And Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood was elected chair of the Rules Committee after the former chair, Sen. Sue Crawford of Bellevue, was term-limited.