The lawmaking process in Nebraska officially begins when a senator introduces a bill into the Legislature, which meets each January. But the process actually begins much earlier, when a senator first begins to formulate ideas for new laws.

An idea for a new law may be suggested by anyone: concerned citizens, special interest groups, state agencies or the governor. But before the Legislature can formally consider the idea, it must be introduced as a bill by a senator or legislative committee.

Committees debate and propose amendments to bills, and the full Legislature has an opportunity to debate each bill at least two times before its final passage. Senators may propose amendments to alter a bill at each stage of debate.

Read through the steps below to learn how a bill becomes a Nebraska state law, and refer to the corresponding chart of the process.

First, a senator and his or her staff research a problem and study possible legislative remedies. A senator may introduce a bill to create a new law, repeal an existing law or change a law.

The Legislature has a research division that helps senators with their research projects. Much of their research is done during the period between sessions called the interim. During this time, legislative committees study a variety of issues that have been outlined in interim study resolutions passed by the Legislature.

A senator brings his or her idea for a new law to a bill drafter, who works with the senator to transform the idea into the proper legal form for a legislative bill. Unlike some states, bills introduced in Nebraska may contain only one subject.

A senator brings his or her idea for a new law to a bill drafter, who works with the senator to transform the idea into the proper legal form for a bill. Unlike some states, bills introduced in Nebraska may contain only one subject.

Most bills are introduced during the first 10 days of the legislative session which begins each January. In order to introduce a bill, a senator files it with the Clerk of the Legislature. The clerk reads the title of the bill into the record, assigns it a number and prints copies of it for public and legislative use.

The Legislative Fiscal Office prepares budget statements that estimate the anticipated change in state, county, or municipal expenses or revenue under the provisions of each bill. This statement is called a fiscal note. The fiscal note contains three estimates. One estimate is calculated by the fiscal office staff; another is prepared by the governor's budget office; and a third is prepared by the affected state agency. In addition, the fiscal office prepares appropriations bills ("A" bills), which accompany bills that have a fiscal impact.

A nine-member Reference Committee then determines which bills will go to each one of the 14 standing committees. With the exception of a few technical bills, most bills introduced into the Legislature must receive a public hearing by a committee. At hearings, citizens have a chance to express their opinions to committee members. Testimony is recorded and transcribed to become a part of the official committee record.

After the hearing, committees may:

• Vote to send the bill to general file with or without amendments
• Indefinitely postpone the bill
• Take no action on it

Go to the Committees portion of this site for more information on committee membership and the committee process.

Before final passage, all bills are constitutionally required to be read aloud in their entirety by the Clerk of the Legislature, unless three-fifths (30 members) of the Legislature votes to waive the requirement. A bill may not be amended or debated on Final Reading, but may be returned to Select File for a specific amendment. Bills may not be voted on for final passage until at least five legislative days after the bill is introduced, and one legislative day after it is placed on Final Reading.

A proposed constitutional amendment requires a three-fifths vote of the elected members (30) to place it on the general election ballot and a four-fifths vote (40) to place it on a primary or special election ballot. All other bills without an emergency clause require a simple majority vote before going to the governor. A bill with an emergency clause requires a vote of two-thirds (33 members) of the Legislature.

As always, persons attending a public hearing in person will have an opportunity to present verbal testimony to the committee and be subject to questioning by the committee members. In-person testimony is generally limited to 5 minutes although the chair of each committee has discretion to modify that time limit.

Persons verbally testifying will be listed as a testifier on the committee statement as has been the practice, and have their position included within the official committee hearing record

In order to facilitate public input on legislation, a feature was added to the Nebraska Legislature’s website for submission of written comments on pending legislation on the Legislature’s website at any stage of the process. (To access this feature, search for the bill you wish to submit a statement on and click the corresponding button near the top of the bill page.) This feature will appear once a bill has been scheduled for a public hearing.

Persons submitting comments online will have the option to request the comments be included in the official public hearing record as an exhibit if the comments are submitted and verified prior to 12:00 p.m. CST on the last work day prior to the public hearing.

If you have a position comment for the public hearing record on a gubernatorial appointment, an agency budget hearing, or an amendment scheduled for public hearing, go to the “Committees” heading on the left side of the home page. From there you will go to “Hearing Schedules” and select the specific hearing to find a link to submit online comments.

The hearing schedule may also be reached by going to the online calendar and selecting the date of the public hearing, then selecting “Hearing Schedules.”

A committee may consider several bills during an afternoon. The committee chairperson determines the order in which bills will be heard, the rules for testifying and whether there will be a time limit on your testimony. The length of time spent on each bill varies and depends largely on the number of people testifying, the length of their testimony and the number of questions asked by committee members.

Usually, unless otherwise indicated, hearings begin at 1:30 p.m. Each bill is presented by the senator who sponsors it. After the sponsoring senator finishes his or her introduction, the committee chair typically will ask proponents of the bill to come forward individually and state their reasons for supporting the measure. Then, the chair will ask the bill's opponents to come forward and state their opinions. Often, committee chairpersons will allow individuals to testify in a neutral capacity.

If you want to testify before the committee, you will need to fill out the sign-in sheet at the witness table, orally identify yourself and spell your last name for the record, and state who, if anyone, you represent as you begin your testimony. It is important to remember that committee proceedings are transcribed verbatim.

For additional public input options, click here.