YOUR ACTION:

Call your own Republican Senator – Urge him/her to vote YES for a public vote for Committee Chairs!

BACKGROUND:

Current Legislature rules allow for a secret ballot on committee chairs, which is a violation of the Nebraska Constitution. The State Constitution says all votes are to be public votes (See Nebraska Constitution on page 12, Section III-11 which states, “All votes shall be viva voce”).

Secret ballot voting allows for deal-making between Democrats and RINOS, resulting in Democrats owning the Chairs in several key committees. 

TALKING POINTS FOR PUBLIC VOTE ON COMMITTEE CHAIRS:

1. Each year, all senators swear to uphold the U.S. Constitution and Nebraska Constitution. The Nebraska Constitution is the supreme document of our state government, so the Legislature Rules MUST abide by our Constitution. It is a travesty that previous legislative bodies have allowed the secret vote on Committee Chairs to happen.
2. The ideal time for the senators to vote and eliminate the secret ballot vote on Committee Chairs to the constitutionally required public vote is NOW -- during the first two days of the session.
3. Dozens of pro-life / pro-nuclear family / pro-fundamental rights LB’s died in the Judiciary & Education Committees in 2020 thru 2022 because of progressive chairs stopping them in committee.
4.  Committee Chairs have significant power because they schedule the dates for public hearings on LB’s and LR’s. They also control the dates for EXECUTIVE SESSION when LB’s or LR’s in that committee can be discussed – amended – voted out of committee for floor debate.
5. Many conservative senators committed to their constituents during the 2022 election cycle that they would vote YES for public vote on Committee Chairs. Constituents will be watching the Committee Chair vote to ensure their senator voted YES as was promised to them.

FINAL INSTRUCTIONS:

On Tuesday and Wednesday, January 3^rd and 4^th, use the attached list to find your Senator’s phone and email address. Email them on Tuesday with one of the talking points plus a short 1-2 paragraphs of your own words, requesting them to have a public vote on Committee Chairs. Call your senator’s office on Wednesday and talk to the Legislative Aide (LA) or Administrative Assistant (AA) to verify they received your email sent the previous day AND that the Senator has read it.