What's up with nebraska? state shows independent streak

What's up with Nebraska?

The state is among the nation's most conservative, with Republicans controlling all of state government. But by the time the legislative session had ended last week, lawmakers had repealed the death penalty, legalized licenses for certain immigrants brought to the country illegally as children, raised the state fuel tax and come close to approving a medical marijuana bill.

The liberal-leaning list of accomplishments has left some shaking their heads, but others say it's not unprecedented in a state with a strong populist streak and an unusual legislative system that gives power to individual lawmakers at the expense of political parties.

The Legislature - which has only one house- is comprised of 35 Republicans, 13 Democrats and one independent, but, unlike other states, the party in the majority doesn't control the session. The speaker sets the agenda and designates certain bills as priorities but doesn't decide whether a bill makes it to the floor, and parties can't exert discipline over how senators vote. The setup forces lawmakers to build coalitions based on shared beliefs, regional interests or agreements to support one another's bills.

Further, senators say the Legislature's size separates it from conservative powerhouses like Texas. With 49 members, Nebraska's Legislature is the nation's smallest. Senators form friendships that transcend party lines, in an atmosphere that one lawmaker likens to a coffee shop.

"There are a lot of places like that out in rural Nebraska," said Sen. Laura Ebke, a Republican elected last year. "The same crowd comes in every day, they complain about the same things, they argue about the same things and then they're friends."

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