Unicameral Update
The Executive Board heard joint testimony Feb. 27 on two proposals that would extend term limits for members of the Nebraska Legislature.
The identical measures — LR19CA, introduced by Norfolk Sen. Robert Dover, and LR27CA, sponsored by Omaha Sen. Megan Hunt — would extend the current limit of two consecutive four-year terms for state senators to three consecutive four-year terms.
If approved by the Legislature, the proposals would be placed on the November 2026 general election ballot. If approved by voters, the measures would take effect in 2028.
Dover said that while he supports term limits, they come with challenges. Inexperienced lawmakers are forced to rely more heavily on other branches of government and long-term lobbyists to fill in the gaps in their institutional knowledge, he said.
“By the time a senator finally feels somewhat comfortable, they are termed out,” Dover said.
Hunt, on the other hand, said she opposes term limits and is concerned that the process limits voter choice. Given that term limits are a reality in Nebraska, however, the state would be better served by allowing senators an additional term, she said.
In addition, Hunt said, the idea that state senators are “fat cats” who want to stay in office to line their pockets is not the reality for Nebraska lawmakers. Senators’ $12,000 annual salary means that no one is in the job for the money, she said, and even before term limits Nebraska did not see the kind of “career politicians” that are common in Congress.
“I think this is something that a lot of Nebraskans don’t really understand,” Hunt said.
Geoff Lorenz, an assistant professor of Political Science at UNL echoed those sentiments. Testifying on his own behalf, Lorenz spoke in support of both measures.
He said only about one quarter of lawmakers served three or more terms before Nebraska instituted term limits in 2006. Adding a third term would put legislative careers closer to the institution’s historical norms, he said, while also offering a buffer against escalating polarization.
“Term-limited bodies tend to exert less influence on policy outcomes [and] are less innovative and more polarized, as members have less time to develop policy expertise and long-term working relationships,” Lorenz said.
Speaking on behalf of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Bryan Slone also spoke in favor of both proposals. Nebraska’s unique one-house system means that lawmakers cannot run for a seat in another chamber, he said, so the expertise that senators gain during their time in office is lost when they must leave office due to term limits.
“In any state [with] term limits, it’s in the best interest of the voters that term limits be periodically reconsidered to see if they’re actually achieving the goals that were sought,” Slone said.
No one testified in opposition to the proposals and the committee took no immediate action on them.