After a two and a half hour debate, the Nebraska legislature passed an historic bill on Wednesday, becoming the first conservative state to outlaw the death penalty since 1973.

In a 30-19 vote, Nebraska legislators overrode Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts, who vetoed the bill last week. According to him, the state should maintain the option to sentence criminals to capital punishment in order to protect the public.

However, in spite of the governor's objections, senators in the one-house Legislature gained just enough votes to override his veto. In response, the decision received a round of applause from death penalty opponents in the legislative chamber.

"Whenever anything historic occurs, it's never the doing of one person," said Sen. Ernie Chambers, who introduced a repeal measure 38 times, according to The Associated Press. "I've been pushing for this for 40 years, but all of this time it's never been done. If it could be done by one man, it would have been done a long time ago."

Following the landmark the vote, Ricketts issued a statement bashing the Legislature.

"My words cannot express how appalled I am that we have lost a critical tool to protect law enforcement and Nebraska families," said Ricketts in a statement. "While the Legislature has lost touch with the citizens of Nebraska, I will continue to stand with Nebraskans and law enforcement on this important issue."

Since 2007, six other states have abolished capital punishment. Nebraska is now one of the 19 states, including the District of Columbia, that moved to abolish the ultimate punishment.

"We are a nation that is turning away from the death penalty. This victory stands as a testament to what can happen in our sister states," said Danielle Conrad, the executive director of the Nebraska chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, in a statement applauding the decision, according to CNN.