The Executive Board announced an official letter of reprimand of Hastings Sen. Steve Halloran April 3 for remarks made March 18 during floor debate on a bill regarding obscenity laws governing K-12 teachers and librarians.<\/p>\n
During the debate, Halloran read from the bill\u2019s committee hearing transcript, which included a passage from \u201cLucky,\u201d a memoir by Alice Sebold that describes a graphic sexual assault that the author experienced. Halloran inserted the names \u201cSenator Cavanaugh\u201d and \u201cSenator Dungan,\u201d who were engaged in the debate, throughout his reading of the excerpt.<\/p>\n
The Legislature launched an official investigation into the incident March 20 under its workplace harassment policy and appointed a special three-member personnel panel. The panel hired an outside law firm to investigate whether the actions taken by Halloran violated the Legislature\u2019s workplace harassment policy or other employment discrimination law.<\/p>\n
During announcement of the reprimand, Executive Board chairperson, Sen. Raymond Aguilar of Grand Island, said the law firm determined Halloran\u2019s remarks would not meet the criteria for a hostile work environment claim under federal or state law, but were a violation of the Legislature\u2019s harassment policy.<\/p>\n
According to the report, Sen. Halloran\u2019s conduct and comments were \u201cinappropriate, unnecessary and could be interpreted as unfairly targeting a fellow member of the Legislature.\u201d It went on to describe his conduct as \u201creprehensible\u201d and that it could foster a hostile work environment.<\/p>\n
Aguilar said the Executive Board met to review the report and voted 8-1 to approve an official letter of reprimand. The letter, which was read into the legislative record, indicated that those who signed it agree that Halloran\u2019s conduct \u201cshould never be tolerated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c[We] formally deplore the unacceptable conduct of Sen. Halloran and find that his remarks were not only unbecoming of a member of the Nebraska Legislature and contrary to all senatorial traditions of decorum, but clearly violated the Nebraska Legislature\u2019s workplace harassment policy.\u201d<\/p>\n
In comments on the floor following the announcement, Omaha Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh said she was disappointed with the handling of the investigation and the public announcement of its conclusions without prior notification to her or Sens. John Cavanaugh and George Dungan.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have failed me \u2026 you have failed all victims,\u201d Cavanaugh said, adding that she intends to file a censure motion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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