As the Nebraska Legislature returned to Lincoln for the start of the 60-day session on Wednesday, Speaker John Arch asked senators to turn the page from last year’s session that ended in resentment.
“I’m looking at this as an opportunity, 60 days of opportunity,†Arch said in a floor speech shortly after the 108th Legislature gaveled in its second, shorter session. “That’s what we have in front of us.â€
The lawmaker from La Vista said senators had a chance to move past the rancor that marked the 2023 session, which was consumed by debates over bills prohibiting transgender youth from seeking certain medical care in Nebraska, banning abortions 10 weeks after fertilization and removing some permitting requirements for gun owners.
Arch told the 48 other senators in the nation’s only unicameral lawmaking body they have an opportunity to tackle issues that have “the greatest impact on the greatest number of people†and be a model body that “shows the nation how a Legislature can function.â€
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“I believe the majority of our citizens are longing for this kind of leadership,†Arch said. “I believe we’re capable of doing this.â€
Getting there won’t be easy, admitted Arch, who is now in his second year setting the Legislature’s agenda.
First, he said, was the limited time lawmakers have to address the bills before them this year: “We only have 60 days — we can’t do everything.â€
Senators also need to be ready to work with one another to address concerns brought up about bills, answer questions that arise in committee hearings, floor debates, and other places, and find areas to compromise when necessary, he said.
Arch exhorted his colleagues to also spend time “talking to each other, not just about each other, not just about policy†in order to build better relationships that could lead to better legislative outcomes.
The speaker also said Nebraska’s elected representatives need to demonstrate respect for one another as well as the legislative process, or, as he put it, run the risk of society becoming “ungovernable.â€
He also asked senators to reflect on the sacrifices they had made to be among the few getting to craft laws and policies for nearly 2 million Nebraskans, and be ready to make more sacrifices in the days ahead.
“Sacrifice is defined as the loss of something valuable for the sake of a greater cause,†Arch said. “As we debate policy this session, we may be asked to give up some of what we want for the greater cause.
“And that greater cause may be the institution itself,†he added.
Senators lauded Arch’s speech on Wednesday, even as they expressed a wait-and-see approach to how the short session, which is set to run through mid-April, will ultimately play out.
They also seemed to heed the speaker’s words as more than a dozen bills received priority designation on the first day — a number longtime legislative observers said was unusual — in order to pave the way for floor debate on what Arch has referred to as “good governance†legislation.
“(Arch’s) heart is in the right place, he wants to get things accomplished,†said Sen. Ray Aguilar of Grand Island, who was elected as the chairman of the Executive Board on Wednesday, replacing former Sen. Tom Briese of Albion after the latter was appointed as state treasurer last year.
Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Bennington said Arch gave “a good speech†and that she hoped the Legislature manifested the ideals he put forth this year.
Lawmakers were excited to see one another in the Capitol once again, even if the mood was more muted than in previous years, DeBoer noted, adding it inspired optimism that personal and professional relationships could improve.
“My mom always says ‘time and consistency,’ so we’ll have to earn each other’s trust back slowly,†DeBoer said.
Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, the Revenue Committee chairwoman, said Arch was “right on target†in his remarks.
“We need to learn and set an example for everyone — children in schools, people who are watching — that you can debate and be civil and how you can stay on subject,†said Linehan, who is entering her last year in the Legislature.
But, Linehan said it was up to individual senators to live up to the aspirations laid out by Arch on Day 1.
“What I can do is control how I act,†she said. “I will try to make sure I’m upholding, or at least trying to, live up to his expectations.â€
Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward, who was part of an effort among last year's freshman class of senators to meet in social settings away from the chamber, said she had some hope her second year in the Legislature would be better, though said she harbored some doubts.
"From what I hear talking to senators, there are some really good priority bills," she said. "If we can get the ball rolling on those, then I see some of that bomb-throwing might not happen."
Lincoln Sen. Danielle Conrad said Arch’s speech “set the right tone and hit the right notes.â€
“I really, truly believe and have said the same to him and my other colleagues, that we have precious few moments in the opening hours, days, and weeks of the 2024 legislative session to reset the tone and to refocus our work on the people’s business,†Conrad said.
Now in her 10th year in the Legislature, Conrad designated LB16 — originally introduced by Briese last year — as her priority bill for the 2024 session.
Conrad said the bill, which would recognize occupational licenses granted in other states in order to address workforce shortages in Nebraska, has bipartisan support and has been passed in 20 other states, and could help get the legislative machinery running this year.
Other bills prioritized on Wednesday include LB126 from Sen. Jen Day of Gretna, which would provide a prorated Homestead Exemption to veterans who are partially disabled due to a service-related disability, and LB61 from Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth, which would allow public power providers to lease so-called “dark fiber†to local internet service providers.
“These are common ground, commonsense ideas that we should take up as early as possible to deliver for Nebraskans that address real issues and help the body regain some muscle memory about how we can and should work together,†Conrad said.
The Legislature will convene again Thursday at 10 a.m. for Day 2 of the session.