Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Groene's Resignation May Lead To Reckoning In Legislature

Several female state lawmakers are calling for an overhaul of how the Nebraska Legislature handles sexual harassment investigations following the resignation of a male state senator who admitted he took photos of a female subordinate without her consent. The half-dozen lawmakers on Tuesday recounted their own experiences of being groped, harassed and belittled. State Sen. Mike Groene abruptly resigned on Monday and abandoned his campaign to be a University of Nebraska Regent. The Republican acknowledged Friday that he took photos of the legislative staffer in his office. But he said none were sexual in nature. The former staffer, Kristina Konecko, filed a complaint with the Legislature’s Executive Board in which she described the photos as “objectifying and demeaning.” Meanwhile, Groene is under investigation by the Nebraska State Patrol. In addition, a legislative special personnel panel will hire an outside law firm to investigate Groene's computer.