Lincoln – Nebraska lawmakers cleared the way last week for a new proposal that would require cities to create civilian police oversight boards in response to public outrage over the deaths of Black men in confrontations with police.

Lawmakers took the rare step of allowing Omaha Sen. Justin Wayne to introduce the new bill last Thursday, late in their legislative session when such action is normally prohibited. Senators voted 32-4 to temporarily suspend their own rules so that Wayne could bring the bill.

The vote came after Wayne, who is Black, talked about his own experience being pulled over by police for a broken taillight and having a gun pointed at him in front of the fifth graders he was driving to a basketball practice.

The measure faces an uphill battle because there are just 13 days left in the 60-day session. After the bill is introduced, lawmakers will have to schedule a committee hearing and give several days of advance notice to the public.

If the committee advances the bill, it would then need to survive three rounds of debate in the full Legislature at a time when dozens of other bills still have to be considered. It would then go to the governor.