Why Nebraska remains the only state in America with a single-house legislative system

Countries & Cities · Published 15 October 2026 · Updated 25 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Nebraska stands alone as the only U.S. state to operate a unicameral legislature. While other states once considered abandoning their two-house systems to emulate Nebraska's efficiency, the movement stalled. Experts suggest that lawmakers elsewhere were simply unwilling to vote themselves out of a job, preserving the traditional bicameral status quo.

Nebraska transitioned to its unique one-house system in 1937, following a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 1934. Before this shift, the state operated under a traditional bicameral structure, which had been in place since statehood was granted in 1867. Dissatisfaction had simmered for years, driven by the tendency for bills to vanish when the two chambers failed to reach an agreement. Furthermore, the conference committees tasked with merging conflicting legislation often operated in secret, leaving them shielded from public accountability.

The push for reform gained significant momentum under the influence of George W. Norris, a U.S. senator who championed the change after observing the success of a unicameral parliament in Queensland, Australia. Norris argued that a two-house system was an outdated relic of the British House of Lords and served only to duplicate efforts and waste public funds. While the 1934 amendment's success is often attributed to Norris’s popularity and a desire to cut costs during the Great Depression, some historians note that it appeared on the same ballot as a popular measure to legalize horse-race betting, which may have inadvertently boosted turnout for the reform.

Following the change, Nebraska became a beacon for reformers across the country. During the 1960s, a Supreme Court ruling requiring both legislative houses to be apportioned by population—rather than geography—prompted many states to question the necessity of maintaining two chambers. States including California, Florida, and New York looked to Nebraska as a model of effectiveness. Despite this widespread interest, the first clerk of the Nebraska Unicameral, Hugo Srb, correctly predicted that legislators in other states would resist such consolidation. Today, Nebraska remains the sole practitioner of this streamlined system, maintaining a 49-member body that operates without formal partisan leadership.

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