A bill presented before the Unicameral on Monday could change the way executions are viewed in Nebraska.
State Senator Patty Pansing Brooks, of Lincoln, proposed legislation that would require state lawmakers to witness executions and would block prison officials from blocking a witness' view of the act. Many questions were raised last year after the execution of Carey Dean Moore after the viewing gallery curtains were closed for nearly fifteen minutes during his execution.
The bill states that the Unicameral's Executive Board would appoint two lawmakers who then would be required to be present during any executions. This measure is said to make sure prison officials couldn't "obstruct, limit, shield or otherwise impede" the view of witnesses.
During Moore's execution, Nebraska's first in two decades, the blinds remained down for fourteen minutes after the lethal injection drugs were administered, before it was raised again for 40 seconds.