LINCOLN- LB1301, introduced by Sen. Barry Dekay at the behest of Gov. Jim Pillen, would modernize a law that they argue is designed to prevent foreign adversaries and sanctioned nationals from buying land in Nebraska. "What we're doing is not something that is radically different," DeKay told the Legislature's Agriculture Committee on Tuesday.

A draft amendment for the bill would expand restricted land statewide, rather than specifically within 10 miles of Nebraska's military installations. It would also specify that a "nonresident alien" must disclose agricultural land purchases in line with federal law. Under the bill, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture would determine whether a violation of the "Foreign-Owned Real Estate National Security Act" occurred, and could forward the matter to the Attorney General's Office.

Restricted entities within the bill include those who are listed on any sanctions lists maintained by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and those who are determined by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to have "engaged in a long-term pattern or serious instances of conduct significantly adverse to the national security of the United States."

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