CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT WOULD END UNICAMERAL EXPERIMENT IN NEBRASKA

LINCOLN- Each year, and according to a 1981 state law, January 5th is designated each year as George W. Norris Day in Nebraska. The unique state holiday is set aside "in recognition of the many great benefits bestowed upon the people of the State of Nebraska and the United States as a whole" by Norris. The first of these benefits is the establishment of Nebraska's nonpartisan unicameral legislative body, but a new constitutional amendment, introduced by Sen. Steve Erdman, may end that.

The measure seeks to revert Nebraska to a bicameral legislative body, which according to Erdman, will result in better representation for rural parts of the state. With at least half of the state's population concentrated in Lincoln, Omaha, and surrounding areas, rural areas are often underrepresented in state government.

The plan to end the unicameral body is supported by the Nebraska GOP, which in 2022 indicated that it was seeking to "return to a bicameral legislature whereby the upper house has fewer members but larger territorial areas to include a more diverse set of interests in the legislative process."

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