On April 7, the Nebraska Senate unanimously passed LB 367, a bill introduced by Senator Michael Groene of North Platte. The bill repeals the law that makes it illegal to pay initiative circulators on a per-signature basis.

Senator Groene is a freshman, elected in 2014. Before he was elected to the legislature, he was a leader in several initiative petition campaigns. In 2006 he was the lead plaintiff in a federal lawsuit against several local governments that restricted petitioning on public property. That lawsuit, Groene v Seng, was victorious.

Senator Groene’s web page says his LB 367 was his number one legislative priority this year. Thanks to Kent Bernbeck for this news.