The first power reserved to the people of Nebraska in the state’s constitution is the initiative process, which allows for laws and constitutional amendments to be enacted independently of the Legislature.

Since 2014, Nebraskans have used the ballot initiative to raise the state’s minimum wage, reinstate the death penalty, expand Medicaid to 90,000 people and legalize casino gaming at horse tracks.

Other proposed measures have been kept off the ballot, however, after courts determined they violated the state’s single-subject rule, barring popular initiatives from changing more than one part of the law.

Lincoln Sen. Anna Wishart on Friday introduced a constitutional amendment (LR24CA) to clarify the state’s single-subject rule and eliminate uncertainty for future ballot measures.

As it exists now, the single-subject rule states: “Initiative measures shall contain only one subject.”