electoral votes

            This past week, the Legislature gave second-round approval to LB 10, which would return Nebraska to a winner-take-all system for the distribution of electoral votes in presidential elections. Our current system awards a presidential electoral vote to the winner in each of the state’s three congressional districts, while giving two votes to the statewide winner. In addition to Nebraska, only Maine does not deliver all of their electoral votes to the statewide presidential winner.

            LB 10, introduced in 2015 by Senator Beau McCoy, has been filibustered at every stage of debate, requiring a cloture motion to cut off debate and allow for a vote on the advancement of the bill. Last year, at the first stage of debate, the cloture motion was successful, but it fell two votes short at the second stage of debate. After being prioritized again in 2016, the cloture motion was successful this year at the second stage of debate. Senator Ernie Chambers is very much opposed to this legislation and promised to halt the session if it was advanced. Consequently, the next couple days proceeded at a very slow pace.

This past week, the Speaker of the Legislature announced the 25 bills that he selected as speaker priority bills. I was fortunate that two bills that I introduced were on his list.

LB 47, chosen as a speaker priority bill, requires applicants for drivers’ licenses to answer the question regarding whether to place their name on the Donor Registry and donate their organs and tissues. Currently this question on the application is optional. I introduced this bill in an attempt to increase the number of donors in Nebraska, by joining the 25 states and the District of Columbia that already have a mandatory question on their license application. Nearby states, where the question is mandatory, have experienced higher participation rates than in Nebraska. At any given time, there are approximately 500 Nebraskans waiting for an organ or tissue transplant. This legislation does not require an applicant for a license to become a donor, but only requires them to answer yes or no to the question.