This story is provided courtesy of the Nebraska Examiner. To read the story on their website, go to https://nebraskaexaminer.com/
LINCOLN — Nebraska lawmakers are recommending State Sen. Dan McKeon of Amherst be expelled from the Legislature following allegations that he groped a staffer after an end-of-term party earlier this year.
The Nebraska Legislature’s Executive Board, 10 senators in charge of handling disciplinary procedures within the Legislature, voted unanimously Saturday to recommend McKeon’s expulsion, save for State Sen. Teresa Ibach of Sumner, who was unable to attend due to the winter weather. She confirmed to the Examiner that she also would have voted yes on the motion based on the Legislature’s existing policy.
Expulsion is the strongest disciplinary measure the board can recommend, but it requires a full vote of the Legislature to pass. This means the matter will come before lawmakers during the 60-day legislative session that begins in January. Expelling him would require the votes of 33 senators.
The recommendation stems from allegations by a legislative staffer attending an end-of-session party earlier this year. The Nebraska State Patrol received a report in September that McKeon had allegedly “made inappropriate contact with her buttocks with his hand, over the top of her clothing,” according to Patrol spokesman Cody Thomas.
The Patrol cited McKeon for misdemeanor public indecency. The Lancaster County Attorney recently downgraded the allegation to a misdemeanor charge of disturbing the peace. McKeon’s arraignment on the separate criminal charge is set for Wednesday.
In a statement from Executive Board Chair State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair on behalf of the committee, the board concluded the expulsion recommendation was necessary “in light of a demonstrated pattern of behavior by Senator McKeon and not in response to a single isolated incident.”
“Board members emphasized that the action was taken to protect the integrity of the Nebraska Legislature and to uphold the standards expected of its members,” Hansen’s statement reads.
McKeon is a registered Republican who was elected to represent Nebraska Legislative District 41 in the officially nonpartisan Legislature in 2024, replacing former State Sen. Fred Meyer of St. Paul. District 41 includes Valley, Sherman and Buffalo Counties. McKeon’s biographical page on the Legislature’s website highlights that he has been married for 30 years and has four children.
Gov. Jim Pillen and other state officials have called for McKeon’s resignation, but McKeon has said he will not resign. Pillen stood by his statement when asked Saturday.
McKeon’s attorney Perry Pirsch has said McKeon “is guilty of nothing but a bad pun and pat on the back.” He said McKeon has cooperated with the Executive Board’s requests so far, and would continue to do so for “reasonable requests.”
“The Legislature should be careful not to allow unadjudicated, contested allegations drive them to drastic decisions,” Pirsch previously said by email. “They are setting a dangerous precedent if they assume the worst and take actions based on nothing but contested allegations.”
Pirsch did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the Executive Board’s Saturday vote.
The Executive Board had met at least twice previously to discuss the situation, according to Hansen. The group’s second meeting on the matter, Dec. 8, adjourned without reaching a resolution because Hansen wanted the full board to weigh in on the decision.
During the board’s first meeting on McKeon Oct. 27, Hansen said the group agreed to move McKeon’s former first-floor office, exchanging it with another first-floor office previously occupied by State Sen. Tanya Storer of Whitman. Hansen did not specify why the board did so.
Note – Sandhills Express added McKeon’s district and region to the article for local context.
