McKeon expulsion resolution introduced

Blair Sen. Ben Hansen, chairperson of the Executive Board, introduced a resolution Jan. 7 to expel Sen. Dan McKeon of Amherst from the Nebraska Legislature.

LR282, introduced on behalf of the Executive Board and signed by eight of the nine voting committee members, cites a “pattern of behavior violating the Nebraska Legislature’s workplace policies on harassment and decorum” by McKeon, including an incident at a work-related party for senators and staff.

During the event to celebrate the end of the 2025 legislative session, McKeon allegedly made inappropriate contact with a female legislative staffer’s buttocks over her clothes, according to the Nebraska State Patrol.

McKeon originally was charged with public indecency, a Class II misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail, a $1,000 fine or both. He later was instead cited for disturbing the peace, a Class III misdemeanor punishable by up to three months in jail, a $500 fine or both.

McKeon initially was to enter a no-contest plea. He has since said that he will fight the charge.

The Executive Board conducted its own investigation into the allegations, as required by the Legislature’s workplace harassment policy.

Based upon that investigation, LR282 states that McKeon has “brought the Legislature into disrespect and disrepute” and likely will not refrain in the future from “activity that is contrary to senatorial traditions of decorum and from actions that are in violation of the Nebraska Legislature’s established policies.”

The resolution also indicates that there are additional confidential complaints pending before the Executive Board regarding McKeon’s behavior and that the senator engaged in retaliatory conduct against his initial accuser by insinuating to a colleague that the complainant was “difficult to work with.”

A public hearing on LR282 is tentatively scheduled for Jan. 12 in front of the Executive Board, with invited testimony only. If committee members then vote to advance the measure to the full Legislature for a single round of debate, scheduling will be up to Speaker John Arch of La Vista.

If the resolution is adopted, McKeon would become the first senator in Nebraska history to be expelled from the Legislature. Thirty-three votes would be required.

Gov. Jim Pillen, who has called for McKeon’s resignation since last year, would appoint a successor to fill the vacant seat. The appointee would serve District 41 until a November 2026 special election to select a representative for the two-year remainder of McKeon’s term.

District 41 encompasses Boone, Greeley, Howard, Sherman, Valley and Wheeler counties in central Nebraska as well as portions of Buffalo and Hall counties.