Lincoln, Neb. — Neb. lawmakers have voted to “reprimand” Sen. Steve Halloran over allegations that he sexually harassed certain senators. Sen. Ray Aguilar, chairman of the executive board, addressed lawmakers Wednesday morning about the board’s decision. The letter of reprimand was read into the Legislature’s permanent record by Clerk of the Legislature Brandon Metzler…
“This letter of reprimand shall stand in the permanent record as intent of this executive board of the 108th Legislature that conduct and comments such as those by Sen. Halloran should never be tolerated and that the Nebraska Legislature should seek to foster a future work environment that respects the dignity of all members of the Legislature and restores the confidence of the people of the state in the Legislature.”
On March 18, during a debate over an obscenity bill, Sen. Halloran read out loud graphic passages describing sexual violence and inserted a colleague’s name into the text. Halloran said the book, “Lucky” by Alice Sebold, could be found in at least 16 school libraries in Nebraska and was assigned reading for some accelerated reading classes. While reading the passages, he inserted Sen. Cavanaugh’s name into the text several times. Halloran explained that he was trying to get the attention of her brother, Sen. John Cavanaugh. LR 335 was filed by Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh as a follow up to Sen. Halloran’s remarks on the floor.
Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh was unhappy with the executive board’s decision. Cavanaugh’s LR335 called for the “censure” of Halloran…
Cavanaugh also expressed disappointment that throughout the process, she was never included in the investigation. Cavanaugh says she will file a motion for “censure,” but doubts it will be taken up.
LR335 — The following constitutes the reasons for this bill and the purposes which are sought to be
accomplished thereby:
“This resolution presents an opportunity for the Legislature to deliberate on potential censure actions against Senator Steve Halloran, representing District 33, due to his inappropriate conduct both on and off the microphone on Monday, March 18, 2024. Currently, the Nebraska Legislature lacks a clear standard of civility or a code of conduct for its members. This resolution seeks to provide a platform for the entire legislature to express agreement or disagreement with the language used by Senator Halloran. It’s essential to note that a censure does not entail censorship. Rather, it signifies a collective acknowledgment by the legislative body that such language and actions are not condoned. The citizens of Nebraska are observant of the proceedings and anticipate a level of decorum that was breached by Senator Halloran on March 18.”
