Signed into law by the Governor
Change provisions relating to real estate and the Foreign-owned Real Estate National Security Act ↗
latest roll call: Final Reading · 04/03/2025 · Yea 47 · Nay 0 · Not voting/absent 2 (Vote Record)
| Sponsor | Sen. Barry DeKay (District 40) (Introduced 01/09/2025) |
|---|---|
| Sponsor Ranking | The Nebraska Legislature is officially nonpartisan, and no published ideology measurement of its members is in our database - so none is shown. This page shows how members voted, never where anyone places them. |
| KJV verdict | PASS · 4 grounds ↓ |
| Committees | Agriculture |
| Latest Action | 04/08/2025 Approved by Governor on April 7, 2025 |
| Roll Call Votes | 4 |
| Source | view on nebraskalegislature.gov (new tab) → |
Brief (4)
If it passes, what changes
This bill tightens Nebraska's existing foreign land ownership law rather than creating a new one.
- §1 changes the affidavit's foreign-adversary citation to 15 C.F.R. §791.4 (as of Feb. 7, 2025).
- §2 adds definitions for "foreign corporation," "foreign government," "Indian tribe," and "person."
- §3 bars nonresident aliens, foreign corporations, and foreign governments from acquiring most Nebraska real estate on or after Jan. 1, 2025.
- §3 exempts persons tied to a CFIUS-designated "excepted real estate foreign state," unless they are a restricted entity.
- §6 lets restricted entities get manufacturing/industrial land only with a CFIUS no-concerns finding or an active national security agreement, certified yearly to Agriculture by Jan. 15.
- §8 sets a $50,000-per-parcel civil penalty for selling divested real estate to a barred person during the divestment process.
Does it do what it claims
The title says it changes affidavit, definition, and enforcement provisions of the existing Act, and the operative sections match that description.
- Title claims changes to oil and gas leases (§4), railroads/utilities/carriers (§5), and municipalities (§7) -- all three sections are amended as described.
- Title claims changes to "investigations and violations" -- §8 rewrites notice, divestment, and penalty procedure in detail.
- Title claims "civil and criminal immunity" changes -- §9 keeps the no-duty-to-inquire shield but narrows the named officials to Attorney General, outside counsel, and the Director of Agriculture.
- Title claims to "redefine terms" -- §2 replaces "person" scope from natural persons only to also cover corporations, trusts, and other entities.
The case each way
The dispute is whether narrowing exemptions and adding federal cross-references strengthens the law or just adds compliance complexity.
- For: §6's added CFIUS-determination path (§6(2)(a)(i)) gives restricted entities a clearer, evidence-based route to compliance than the old law offered.
- For: §8's $50,000-per-parcel penalty (§8(4)(e)) creates a concrete deterrent against black-market transfers during divestment that prior law lacked.
- Against: Tying key terms to federal regulations "as such regulation existed on" a fixed 2025 date (§1, §2) freezes Nebraska law even if federal rules change.
- Against: §3's new carve-out for CFIUS-excepted foreign states could be read as loosening restrictions rather than tightening them.
What the text cannot settle
The text names the mechanics of enforcement and exemption but leaves several practical questions to future actors.
- The bill does not state how a "restricted entity" is identified in practice before a transaction occurs.
- §6(2)(a)(i) leaves the standard for a CFIUS "no unresolved national security concerns" determination undefined in the text.
- §3(3)'s "excepted real estate foreign state" list is set by CFIUS, not fixed in the bill, so it can change without legislative action.
- The bill states no fiscal impact, appropriation, or estimate of enforcement cost to the Attorney General or Department of Agriculture.
- §8 does not specify a deadline for the Attorney General to commence action once the 180-day grace period lapses.
Written by claude-sonnet-5 from the Slip Law of this bill on 2026-09-13, and from nothing else. It is a reading, not a source: bullets naming a section this bill does not contain are dropped before the page is built, but the prose is not otherwise checked. The verdict above does not come from it.
KJV verdict (4)
PASS — Aligns with the KJV
The bill bars sanctioned foreign adversaries, foreign governments, and absent foreigners from buying Nebraska land, punishes lying on the required affidavit, and takes land back only after a court hearing where the state must prove its case and lienholders are paid. It leaves the stranger who actually lives in the land untouched. Nothing it enacts does what the standard forbids.
4 grounds: 0 FAIL, 4 PASS. Any FAIL fails the bill.
PASS Sec. 1 (76-2,141(4))
“Any person who swears falsely on such an affidavit shall be guilty of a violation of section 28-915.01.”
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”Exodus 20:16
“Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.”Proverbs 12:22
The bill punishes false witness sworn to a public officer, which the standard names an abomination.
PASS Sec. 2 (76-3702(4)(c))
“Is not a lawful permanent resident of the United States”
“And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.”Leviticus 19:33-34
“He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.”Deuteronomy 10:18-19
The ban reaches only those not dwelling in the land; the stranger who sojourns with the people is not vexed by it.
PASS Sec. 8 (76-3712(2))
“The Department of Agriculture shall investigate violations of the Foreign-owned Real Estate National Security Act.”
“For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.”Romans 13:3-4
“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”Ephesians 5:11
Rulers are to be a terror to evil; the bill investigates and restrains those the nation has found adverse to it.
PASS Sec. 8 (76-3712(7))
“The burden is on the state to prove by clear and convincing evidence that the real estate is subject to divestment”
“Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.”Deuteronomy 16:19
“Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.”Leviticus 19:15
Land is taken only by a court judging in righteousness, with notice to owners and lienholders and their debts paid first.
Read against the KJV standard from the Slip Law text on 2026-09-13. Every quotation of the bill is checked against the bill's text and every verse is quoted from the 1769 text, not from the model.
Text (4)
- Introduced (new tab) (application/pdf)
- Final Reading (new tab) (application/pdf)
- Slip Law (new tab) (application/pdf)
- Engrossed (new tab) (application/pdf)
Each link opens the legislature's own document.
All Actions (19)
| Date | Actor | All Actions |
|---|---|---|
| 04/08/2025 | Approved by Governor on April 7, 2025 | |
| 04/03/2025 | Presented to Governor on April 3, 2025 | |
| 04/03/2025 | President/Speaker signed | |
| 04/03/2025 | Passed on Final Reading 47-0-2 | |
| 04/03/2025 | Dispensing of reading at large approved | |
| 03/19/2025 | Placed on Final Reading | |
| 03/11/2025 | Advanced to Enrollment and Review for Engrossment | |
| 03/11/2025 | Enrollment and Review ER22 adopted | |
| 03/05/2025 | Enrollment and Review ER22 filed | |
| 03/05/2025 | Placed on Select File with ER22 | |
| 02/27/2025 | Advanced to Enrollment and Review Initial | |
| 02/27/2025 | Agriculture AM77 adopted | |
| 02/27/2025 | DeKay AM310 adopted | |
| 02/20/2025 | DeKay AM310 to AM77 filed | |
| 02/10/2025 | Agriculture AM77 filed | |
| 02/10/2025 | Placed on General File with AM77 | |
| 01/21/2025 | Notice of hearing for January 28, 2025 | |
| 01/13/2025 | Referred to Agriculture Committee | |
| 01/09/2025 | Date of introduction |
Votes (4)
04/03/2025 · Final Reading · 47-0-2
Yea (47): Andersen, Ibach, Arch, Jacobson, Armendariz, Juarez, Ballard, Kauth, Bosn, Lippincott, Bostar, Lonowski, Brandt, McKeon, Cavanaugh, J., Cavanaugh, M., Meyer, Clements, Moser, Clouse, Murman, Conrad, Prokop, DeBoer, Quick, DeKay, Raybould, Dorn, Riepe, Dover, Rountree, Dungan, Sanders, Fredrickson, Sorrentino, Spivey, Hallstrom, Storer, Hansen, Storm, Hardin, Strommen, Holdcroft, von Gillern, Hughes, Wordekemper, Hunt
Not voting / absent (2): McKinney, Guereca
02/27/2025 · ADVANCE TO E&R INITIAL · 43-0-6
Yea (43): Andersen, Ibach, Arch, Jacobson, Armendariz, Juarez, Ballard, Kauth, Bosn, Lippincott, Bostar, Lonowski, Brandt, McKeon, Cavanaugh, J., Cavanaugh, M., Meyer, Clements, Moser, Clouse, Murman, Prokop, DeBoer, Quick, DeKay, Dorn, Dover, Rountree, Dungan, Sanders, Fredrickson, Guereca, Spivey, Hallstrom, Storer, Hansen, Storm, Hardin, Strommen, Holdcroft, von Gillern, Hughes, Wordekemper
Not voting / absent (6): McKinney, Conrad, Raybould, Riepe, Sorrentino, Hunt
02/27/2025 · AM 77 Agriculture · 44-0-5
Yea (44): Andersen, Ibach, Arch, Jacobson, Armendariz, Juarez, Ballard, Kauth, Lippincott, Bostar, Lonowski, Brandt, McKeon, Cavanaugh, J., McKinney, Cavanaugh, M., Meyer, Clements, Moser, Clouse, Murman, Prokop, DeBoer, Quick, DeKay, Raybould, Dorn, Dover, Rountree, Dungan, Sanders, Fredrickson, Sorrentino, Guereca, Spivey, Storer, Hansen, Storm, Hardin, Strommen, Holdcroft, von Gillern, Hughes, Wordekemper
Not voting / absent (5): Bosn, Conrad, Riepe, Hallstrom, Hunt
02/27/2025 · AM 77 Agriculture AM 310 DeKay · 43-0-6
Yea (43): Andersen, Ibach, Arch, Jacobson, Armendariz, Juarez, Ballard, Bosn, Lippincott, Bostar, Lonowski, Brandt, McKeon, Cavanaugh, J., McKinney, Meyer, Clements, Moser, Clouse, Murman, Prokop, DeBoer, Quick, DeKay, Raybould, Dorn, Riepe, Dover, Rountree, Dungan, Sanders, Fredrickson, Spivey, Hallstrom, Storer, Hansen, Storm, Hardin, Strommen, Holdcroft, von Gillern, Hughes, Wordekemper
Not voting / absent (6): Kauth, Cavanaugh, M., Conrad, Sorrentino, Guereca, Hunt
Every roll call as the legislature recorded it, with each member's vote by name.
Sponsors (1)
- Sen. Barry DeKay [District 40] — primary sponsor
Committees (1)
| Committee | Activity | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | Referred | 01/13/2025 |
Amendments (3)
Fiscal Notes & Statements (3)
The legislature's own companion documents; each link opens the official copy.
Related Bills (0)
No related bill information was received.
How this was worked out (1)
1. What was read
| version | Slip Law |
| file | 03-slip-law.pdf |
| sha256 | c9808faec89fa35beba7e9ea8cdc5aee |
| characters | 22,730 |
2. What it was read against
| the standard | bills/kjv_prompt.txt, sha256 79671b42553a40fe28a8ac9c8ce9e60a |
| model | claude-fable-5-1 |
| read on | 2026-09-13 |
| the model was shown | the standard -- the verses of the 1769 text, quoted in full -- and the bill's words, and nothing else |
3. The grounds (4)
| PASS | |
|---|---|
| PASS | Sec. 1 (76-2,141(4))
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” Exodus 20:16 “Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.” Proverbs 12:22 The bill punishes false witness sworn to a public officer, which the standard names an abomination. |
| PASS | Sec. 2 (76-3702(4)(c))
“And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.” Leviticus 19:33-34 “He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.” Deuteronomy 10:18-19 The ban reaches only those not dwelling in the land; the stranger who sojourns with the people is not vexed by it. |
| PASS | Sec. 8 (76-3712(2))
“For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.” Romans 13:3-4 “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” Ephesians 5:11 Rulers are to be a terror to evil; the bill investigates and restrains those the nation has found adverse to it. |
| PASS | Sec. 8 (76-3712(7))
“Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.” Deuteronomy 16:19 “Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.” Leviticus 19:15 Land is taken only by a court judging in righteousness, with notice to owners and lienholders and their debts paid first. |
4. How the verdict follows
| FAIL grounds | 0 |
| PASS grounds | 4 |
| the rule | any FAIL ground fails the bill -- even one, even beside good provisions (1 Corinthians 5:6), even for a good end (Romans 3:8); PASS grounds alone pass it; no grounds, no verdict. No counting, no weighing, nothing added up. |
| verdict | PASS — Aligns with the KJV |
5. What this cannot tell you
Every ground above quotes the bill and quotes the verse, so each can be checked. What the model did not raise cannot be checked the same way: a provision it passed over looks exactly like one that is not there. How often a ground is wrong, and how often one is missing, are not known.
Bill data comes from the Nebraska Legislature's own website, scraped and stored by our own pipeline; titles, sponsors, actions and vote tallies are shown as the Legislature published them. Nothing is generated. Nebraska's Legislature is unicameral and officially nonpartisan; its members carry no party label here because they carry none there. No published ideology measurement is in our database, so no bill or member on this site is placed on a left-right axis: every meter is a roll-call tally, labeled (Vote Record).