Nebraska Lawmakers Consider Historic Expulsion of Senator Accused of Inappropriate Conduct
Nebraska lawmakers opened the 2026 legislative session Wednesday facing an unprecedented question: whether to expel a sitting state senator over alleged inappropriate conduct involving a legislative staffer.
Lawmakers were asked on the first day of the session to consider removing Republican Sen. Dan McKeon, 59, following allegations that he made a sexually charged remark and touched a female staffer inappropriately at a party last year. If the Legislature votes next week to expel McKeon, it would mark the first such action in the history of Nebraska’s officially nonpartisan Legislature, according to The New York Post.
The expulsion effort stems from a complaint filed by a legislative staffer who accused McKeon of telling her she should “get laid” during an upcoming vacation and later patting her buttocks at a May 29 end-of-session gathering at the Lincoln Country Club. The event was attended by state lawmakers, legislative employees, and lobbyists.
The allegation triggered an investigation by an outside law firm retained by the Legislature’s Executive Board. The investigative report, released Wednesday, concluded that McKeon’s conduct did not meet the legal threshold for sexual harassment or retaliation under state or federal discrimination law. However, investigators determined that his behavior violated the Legislature’s internal workplace harassment policy.
According to the report, McKeon has “a reputation for making jokes,” some of which are “unprofessional and/or inappropriate for the workplace.” The findings state that lawmakers may choose to censure, reprimand, or expel him based on the conduct described.
Investigators reported that McKeon allegedly made the remark while discussing vacation plans with the staffer and another colleague, asking whether the woman was “going to Hawaii to get laid.” McKeon later characterized the comment as a joke, claiming he was referring to receiving a Hawaiian lei. The report noted that the woman was not planning a trip to Hawaii, undercutting that explanation.
The staffer also alleged McKeon patted her on the buttocks. While McKeon initially denied touching her, he later acknowledged that he may have touched her back, lower back, or “even rear end,” while maintaining the contact was not sexual in nature.
Following the complaint, Executive Board Chairman Sen. Ben Hansen instructed McKeon on June 2 not to attend social events where staffers would be present. Despite that directive, McKeon attended another gathering later the same day where staffers—including the complainant—were present, according to the report.
Nearly a month later, Hansen encouraged McKeon to take responsibility for the allegations. McKeon subsequently sent the woman a handwritten note urging forgiveness “because that is what the Bible instructs people to do,” investigators wrote.
The report also cited an August text message McKeon sent to another staffer who shared an office with the complainant, stating that the woman “seems to be difficult to work with.”
Separately, the Nebraska State Patrol conducted its own investigation and charged McKeon with one misdemeanor count of disturbing the peace. He has pleaded not guilty.
McKeon attended Wednesday’s opening session but declined to comment directly on the investigative findings. Asked about the allegations and potential expulsion, he referenced religion, noting that his name, Daniel, means “just” in Hebrew and saying, “We’re all sinners,” when questioned about claims that he frequently made inappropriate jokes.
He said he does not intend to resign, despite calls from Republican leaders, including Gov. Jim Pillen, for him to step down. McKeon acknowledged that any expulsion vote would likely be close.
“It is what it is,” he said. “I’m not going to cry about it or anything.”
The Legislature’s Executive Board is scheduled to hold a hearing Monday on the expulsion resolution. If it advances out of committee, the full Legislature could take up the measure as early as Tuesday. Expelling a member would require 33 votes.
Since 2017, when The Associated Press began tracking misconduct allegations amid the #MeToo movement, at least 156 state lawmakers in 44 states have been accused of sexual harassment or related misconduct—underscoring the broader national debate over standards, accountability, and due process in public office.