Julie Slama (born May 2, 1996) is an American politician who serves in the
Nebraska Legislature from the 1st district since 2019.
Early life
Julie Slama was born on May 2, 1996.
She graduated from
Auburn High School in 2014. She graduated from
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
with a bachelor's degree in political science in 2018, and the
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska, NU, or UNL) is a public land-grant research university in Lincoln, Nebraska. Chartered in 1869 by the Nebraska Legislature as part of the Morrill Act of 1862, the school was known as the Universit ...
in 2022. During her time at Yale she was the director of operations for ''
Yale Daily News
The ''Yale Daily News'' is an independent student newspaper published by Yale University students in New Haven, Connecticut since January 28, 1878. It is the oldest college daily newspaper in the United States. The ''Yale Daily News'' has consis ...
''.
Slama was an alternate delegate to the 2014
United States Senate Youth Program
The United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) is an annual scholarship competition sponsored jointly by the U.S. Senate and the William Randolph Hearst Foundation.
After a testing and interview process, two high school students are selected from ...
. During the
2018 gubernatorial election she worked as the press secretary for
Pete Ricketts's gubernatorial campaign.
Slama converted to
Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. Her twin sister, Emily, was appointed by Ricketts to the
Sarpy County Election Commission in October 2021. She married former state senator
Andrew La Grone on December 18, 2021.
Nebraska Legislature
Elections
Dan Watermeier
Dan Watermeier (born May 29, 1961 in Lincoln, Nebraska) is an American politician and a former Nebraska state senator in the unicameral Nebraska Legislature representing District 1.
While in the legislature, Watermeier served as the chairman ...
, a member of the
Nebraska Legislature from the 1st district, was elected to the Nebraska Public Service Commission in 2018, and vacated his seat. Slama applied for the position and was appointed to the seat by Ricketts.
She was the youngest member of the legislature's 2019 session and the third-youngest person to serve in the state legislature.
Slama announced her campaign for the
2020 election on July 10, 2019, and placed first in the primary against Janet Palmtag and Dennis Schaardt. She defeated Palmtag, who had the endorsement of former Governor
Dave Heineman and U.S. Representative
Jeff Fortenberry
Jeffrey Lane Fortenberry (born December 27, 1960) is a former United States congressman. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 2005 to 2022, representing as a member of the Republican Party.
In October 2021, a federal ...
.
Jessica Flanagain was her campaign manager. She defeated Palmtag in the general election.
Tenure
During Slama's tenure in the state legislature she has served on the Judiciary, Natural Resources, Reference, and Executive Board committees.
In 2021, she sought the position of vice-chair of the Executive Board committee, but lost to Senator
Tony Vargas
Anthony Vargas (born September 2, 1984) is an American educator and politician serving as a member of the Nebraska Legislature. Vargas represents the 7th district, which covers all of downtown Omaha and much of southeastern Omaha.
Early life a ...
.
Slama was named legislator of the year by the
Young Republicans and placed on the
Forbes 30 Under 30
''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 is a set of lists of people under 30 years old issued annually by ''Forbes'' magazine and some of its regional editions. The American lists recognize 600 business and industry figures, with 30 selected in twenty industries ...
in 2019. In 2022, Slama accused
Charles Herbster of reaching up into her skirt at a event hosted by the
Douglas County Republican Party in 2019. Both filed lawsuits against each other, but later dropped their lawsuits.
Political positions
Slama proposed legislation to require students in 8th and 11th grade to pass the
American Civics Test
The American Civics Test (also known as the American Citizenship Test, U.S. Civics Test, U.S Citizenship Test, and U.S. Naturalization Test) is an oral examination that is administered to immigrants who are applying for U.S. citizenship. The test ...
. She proposed legislation to expand the
castle doctrine to include occupied vehicles. She supported an attempt to call a special legislative session to pass legislation to prohibit
vaccine requirements by businesses, governmental entities, and schools. She opposed expanding
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
In the United States, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a federal program that provides food-purchasing assistance for low- and no-income people. It is a federal aid program, ad ...
benefits to people with felony drug convictions. She proposed anti-
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions legislation
Legislation is the process or result of enrolled bill, enrolling, enactment of a bill, enacting, or promulgation, promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous Government, governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law i ...
.
Slama opposes
abortion
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...
in all cases, including when the life of the mother is at risk. She proposed a
Heartbeat bill
A six-week abortion ban or early abortion ban, called a "heartbeat bill" or "fetal heartbeat bill" by proponents, is a form of abortion restriction legislation in the United States. These bans make abortion illegal as early as six weeks gestatio ...
in 2022. She proposed a motion to censure Senator
Machaela Cavanaugh
Machaela M. Cavanaugh (born January 17, 1979) is an American politician serving in the Nebraska Legislature from the 6th district. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
Early life and education
Cavanaugh was born on January 17, 1979, in W ...
for stating that legislation prohibiting gender-affirming care for transgender children was akin to genocide, but Speaker
John Arch
John Arch (born John Maurice Archambault; May 15, 1959) is an American singer most well known for his work with the progressive metal band Fates Warning.
Fates Warning
Arch co-wrote the majority of the band's songs with guitarist Jim Mathe ...
declined to have it go forward.
Slama proposed a constitutional amendment to require
voter ID
A voter identification law is a law that requires a person to show some form of identification in order to vote. In some jurisdictions requiring photo IDs, voters who do not have photo ID often must have their identity verified by someone els ...
in order to vote. She proposed legislation to alter Nebraska's selection of
presidential electors
The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...
by switching to having them selected through winner-take-all. She proposed a constitutional amendment to make the state legislature partisan.
Electoral history
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slama, Julie
1996 births
21st-century American women politicians
21st-century American politicians
Living people
Politicians from Lincoln, Nebraska
Republican Party Nebraska state senators
Women state legislators in Nebraska