by just one vote, 25-24, a bill to repeal the death penalty carried...

by just one vote, 25-24, a bill to repeal the death penalty carried by Sen. Ernie Chambers, was turned down by the Legislature. Several more votes would have been needed had the bill eventually passed, because Gov. Dave Heineman indicated he would veto it. It would take 30 votes to override a veto.
The bill (LB 476) would have replaced the death penalty with a life sentence without the chance for parole.
Chambers, first elected in 1970, has tried to rid the state of the death penalty every legislative term for more than 30 years. He came close in 1979, when his bill passed on a 26-22 vote. But it was vetoed by then-Gov. Charley Thone. Chambers said he would bring it back next year, his final year in the Legislature.