LINCOLN — State Sen. Dan McKeon resigned from the Nebraska Legislature Tuesday morning, stepping down just moments before lawmakers were set to debate a resolution that could have made him the first sitting senator expelled from the body.
McKeon, who represented Legislative District 41, faced expulsion over allegations that he inappropriately touched a legislative staffer—claims he has denied. The Legislature’s Executive Board had introduced a resolution calling for his removal, and floor debate was scheduled to begin shortly after 10 a.m. Instead, McKeon took the podium and announced his resignation.
“This last year has humbled me,” McKeon said, speaking emotionally as he addressed fellow lawmakers.
State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of the Millard area, who had publicly supported McKeon’s expulsion, said she believed there were enough votes—33 were required—to remove him from office had the vote gone forward.
According to an investigative report prepared by outside counsel Tara Paulson, the staffer alleged that McKeon made a sexually charged joke about going to Hawaii “to get laid” and then slapped her on the backside. Following a separate police investigation, McKeon was cited in October by the Nebraska State Patrol for misdemeanor public indecency. Prosecutors later filed a charge of misdemeanor disturbing the peace. McKeon has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to return to court on January 26.
While Paulson concluded that McKeon’s actions did not meet the legal threshold for sexual harassment under state or federal law, she found the conduct may have violated the Legislature’s internal workplace harassment policy, which includes sexually oriented jokes. “Actionable is not tantamount to acceptable,” Paulson wrote, adding that such behavior could contribute to a hostile work environment and potentially expose the state to legal risk.
State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, chair of the Executive Board, said McKeon’s inconsistent responses to the allegations, along with additional concerns raised since the incident, played a role in advancing the expulsion resolution.
The alleged victim’s name has not been released, in line with newsroom policies protecting the identities of individuals who report abuse unless they choose to speak publicly.
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