Some Legislature candidates sign pledge never to vote for increase in Nebraska's gas tax

LINCOLN — At least six candidates for the Nebraska Legislature have signed a pledge promising to never vote for an increase to the state gas tax.

A Facebook posting by Concerned Conservatives of Nebraska includes a second pledge to support open votes for speaker and committee leadership. Those votes have traditionally been by secret ballot, a policy that some Republicans believe helps Democrats win leadership roles despite a conservative numbers advantage in the officially nonpartisan Legislature.

Concerned Conservatives of Nebraska has not filed with the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission nor has it listed a contact name on the page, prompting speculation about who is behind the pledges. Late Wednesday, former Lancaster County Republican Party Chairman Matt Innis came forward in response to inquiries by The World-Herald.

“We get a lot of people who talk about transparency and holding the line on taxes, and then they get in office, and they don’t,” Innis said, adding that he was working alone.

Read more: http://www.omaha.com/news/legislature/some-legislature-candidates-sign-pledge-never-to-vote-for-increase/article_789f6dea-85ef-11e6-ac18-03c1a54c25ae.html