Who Voted on LB474, May 12, 2021

Why this board exists

The cloture vote was 31 ayes and 18 nays. Thirty-three were needed, so the bill stopped. A vote is a fact. It is not an explanation, and it is not a position on medical cannabis itself. Some of these senators may have voted on procedure, on federal law, or on the bill's text. Only they can say.

This board lists who voted, so the next step is asking each of them, the same question, the same way. It does not say what any of them thinks.

From introduction to indefinitely postponed

LB474 was introduced January 15, 2021, by Sen. Wishart (as introduced). It was referred to the Judiciary Committee, which issued a Committee Statement and a Statement of Intent, advancing it to General File with the committee's own amendment, AM 824.

On General File, May 12, 2021, the Legislature took up two motions back to back: first to shelve the bill until June 10 (failed, 16-27), then to end debate so the bill could move forward (failed, 31-18, needing 33). Neither motion is a vote on the bill itself — a "no" on cloture is a vote to keep debating, not a vote against medical cannabis — but the practical effect was the same: LB474 did not move off General File that day.

LB474's final status was indefinitely postponed — listed next to the bill on the Legislature's own search results for everything introduced on January 15, 2021 (results page). The bill never came back to the floor after the May 12 votes.

How to read it

Bracket: a motion by Sen. Slama to set LB474 aside until June 10, 2021. "Yes" means shelve the bill. Result: 16 ayes, 27 nays (official recorded vote). It failed.
Cloture: a motion by Sen. Wishart to end debate so the bill could move forward. "Yes" means end debate. Result: 31 ayes, 18 nays (official recorded vote). It needed 33 and failed.
Not voting / no vote read: the name was called and no vote was recorded. On the bracket roll call, the Clerk read Sen. Groene's name and no vote, so his entry is blank in the record.

Of the 49 names: 41 voted in the same direction both times (for shelving and against moving on, or the reverse), 2 voted in a way that mixes the two, and 6 did not have a bracket vote recorded.

The roll call

Data file: lb474_2021_roll_call.json.

The five current senators who voted no on cloture

Cloture failed 31-18. Five of the 18 "no" votes are still serving. Facts below are each senator's own, as listed on their Legislature biography page today — committee assignments are current, not what they held in 2021.

• Robert Clements, District 2. Appointed Feb. 6, 2017, to replace Bill Kintner, who resigned; elected 2018; re-elected 2022. Banker, insurance agent and tax preparer; formerly an actuary. Committees: Appropriations, Nebraska Retirement Systems, Reference, Building Maintenance, Executive Board, Legislative Oversight, Legislature's Planning Committee. (source)
• John Arch, District 14. Elected 2018; re-elected 2022; now Speaker of the Legislature. Health care consultant. Committees: Reference, Rules, Executive Board, Legislative Oversight, Legislature's Planning Committee. (source)
• Mike Moser, District 22. Elected 2018; re-elected 2022. Owner/manager, Columbus Music Company; formerly Columbus mayor, 2004-2016. Committees: Natural Resources, Transportation and Telecommunications. (source)
• Dave Murman, District 38. Elected 2018; re-elected 2022. Farmer, formerly a dairy farmer. Committees: Education, Revenue. (source)
• Rita Sanders, District 45. Elected 2020; re-elected 2024. Commercial real estate developer; formerly a district representative for Congressman Jeff Fortenberry, and formerly Bellevue mayor. Committees: Education, Government, Military and Veterans Affairs. (source)

One more of the 18 "no" votes is still in public office, just not in the Legislature. Mike Hilgers, District 21 in 2021, left the Legislature in 2023 — that is why his row above reads "Not on current list," since that column tracks sitting senators only. He served as Speaker of the Legislature, 2021-22, and chair of the Rules Committee, 2017-18, and was elected Nebraska Attorney General in 2022, a post he still holds. (Source: Nebraska Blue Book, 2024 edition, p. 435.)

Identifying the rest, from the Blue Book's own roster

Of the 13 "no" voters who are no longer serving, the Nebraska Blue Book's roster of senators by name and hometown confirms who they were when more than one person has shared the surname.

• Erdman — Steve Erdman, Bayard, served 2017-2025. (The Blue Book lists a second Erdman, Philip, also of Bayard, who served 2001-2009 — before LB474, so not this vote.) (Source: Nebraska Blue Book, 2024 edition, p. 388.)
• Albrecht — Joni Albrecht, Thurston, served 2017-2025. (A different Albrecht, Mike, appears in the Blue Book's 2024 election results for District 17 — a different person, not this senator.) (Source: Nebraska Blue Book, 2024 edition, p. 385.)
• Bostelman — Bruce Bostelman, Brainard, served 2017-2025. (Source: Nebraska Blue Book, 2024 edition, p. 386.)
• Friesen — Curt Friesen, Henderson, served 2015-2023. (Source: Nebraska Blue Book, 2024 edition, p. 389.)
• Hughes — Dan Hughes, Venango, served 2015-2023. (The Blue Book also lists a Calista Cooper Hughes, Humboldt, who served 1965-1969 — before LB474, so not this vote; the current Sen. Jana Hughes, Seward, is a different person, elected 2023.) (Source: Nebraska Blue Book, 2024 edition, p. 389.)
• Linehan — Lou Ann Linehan, Elkhorn, served 2017-2025. (Source: Nebraska Blue Book, 2024 edition, p. 391.)
• Lowe — John S. Lowe, Kearney, served 2017-2025. (Source: Nebraska Blue Book, 2024 edition, p. 391.)
• Slama — Julie Slama, Peru, Sterling and Dunbar, served 2019-2025. (Source: Nebraska Blue Book, 2024 edition, p. 395.)
• Williams — Matt Williams, Gothenburg, served 2015-2023. (The Blue Book also lists two earlier senators named Williams — Dwain Williams, Broken Bow, 1957-1961, and Walter J. "Lefty" Williams, Ravenna/Kearney, 1949-1955 — both long before LB474, so neither is this vote.) (Source: Nebraska Blue Book, 2024 edition, p. 397.)

Tom Briese is also still in public office, just not in the Legislature: he is now the Nebraska State Treasurer. (Source: Nebraska Blue Book, 2024 edition, p. 426.)

Mike Flood, District 19 in 2021, resigned from the Legislature in 2022; the Blue Book's own biography of his Legislature replacement, Sen. Robert Dover, confirms Dover was appointed July 22, 2022 "to replace Michael Flood, who resigned." Flood is now a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Nebraska's 1st District, first elected in a June 2022 special election and re-elected in 2024. (Source: Nebraska Blue Book, 2024 edition, pp. 87, 91, 297.)

Suzanne Geist, Lincoln, District 25, served 2017-2023; the Blue Book's own biography of her Legislature replacement, Sen. Carolyn Bosn, confirms Bosn was appointed April 7, 2023 "to replace Suzanne Geist, who resigned." Geist is now Chief Advisor to the Nebraska Attorney General — the same office Mike Hilgers, also a "no" vote on LB474's cloture motion, now holds. (Source: Nebraska Blue Book, 2024 edition, pp. 300, 389, 435.)

What we have not confirmed

How this was checked

Both roll calls were read from the Clerk of the Legislature's official transcript of floor debate for May 12, 2021 (PDF). Vote totals computed from the names were compared with the totals the Clerk announced, and against the Legislature's own itemized recorded-vote pages: bracket motion and cloture motion, both found via LB474's own bill page. Tenure lines come from each senator’s biography page on nebraskalegislature.gov. The term-limit rule is Nebraska Constitution, Article III-12. Researched September 20, 2026; tenure and term status completed September 23, 2026; itemized vote records, the introduction-to-indefinitely-postponed history, the five current cloture-no bios, the Hilgers Attorney General note, and the Erdman, Albrecht, Bostelman, Briese, Flood, Friesen, Geist, Hughes, Linehan, Lowe, Slama and Williams identifications added October 8, 2026, completing all 18. Corrections welcome.

See also: What Hilgers Said About LB474 in 2021