The 109th Nebraska Legislature will convene on January 8, 2025 for its first session. The 90 day long session will begin the first year of the new biennium. When the Legislature convenes, NAPE/AFSCME members will be there to advocate for bills that will benefit Nebraska state employees and our neighbors who we serve.
The Legislature will swear in 16 new state senators, meaning that almost one-third of the senators will be new. After the swearing in, senators will elect committee chairs, committees will be assigned, and bills will be introduced. The NAPE/AFSCME Government Affairs Committee (GAC), a bipartisan group of union members, will meet to monitor bills, take positions on bills based on our legislative platform adopted by union members, and call on members to contact their senators on important bills as they move through the legislative process.
Bills are introduced during the first 10 days of the legislative session, which makes January a busy month for the GAC committee. 1,000 bills could be filed during the session. After a bill is filed, it must receive a public hearing before a legislative committee. Public comment is received at the committee hearing, and the committee can decide to indefinitely postpone the bill, hold it for more discussion, or advance the bill to the full legislature.
Once a bill reaches the full legislature, it is placed on “General File.” Bills on General File are debated, can be amended, indefinitely postponed, sent back to the committee, or advanced. Bills that are advanced move to “Select File” where they again may be amended, indefinitely postponed, sent back to committee, or advanced. If advanced, the bill moves to “Final Reading” where it can either be passed or it can be sent back to Select File. If passed, the bill goes to the governor for signature. The governor has five days to sign the bill or do nothing at which time the bill becomes law. If the governor vetoes the bill, it returns to the Legislature where the veto can be overridden with a 3/5th vote.
Our NAPE/AFSCME GAC will carefully monitor bills from January 8 through June 18, 2025, which is the tentative ending date for the first session. The GAC will call upon union members when necessary to take action to ensure the legislature acts in the best interests of all Nebraskans. Union members stand together at the bargaining table and in the legislature to ensure just outcomes for the working class.
