LINCOLN — This past legislative session featured a record number of filibusters for the short session.
The unicameral had 24 during the 60 days. That compares to 14 last year during the long session.
A big reason why is the number of controversial bills hitting the floor. This includes medicaid expansion and gun-rights legislation.
“I mean everything has a purpose and we need to have rules that give plenty of time for debate,” says 43rd District Senator Al Davis. “I think that’s wonderful.”
“On the other hand, if a person knows their bill isn’t going to go anywhere then maybe they should have the decency to say ‘It’s not going anywhere, I’m going to pull it’,” he adds.
Davis says he’s considering introducing a change to how the system works next year. For example, if a measure stalls on the floor in the first year, it has to go back through the committee process again the following year before it can hit the unicameral for full debate.
