Cattle graze in a field outside of North English, Iowa, on Sept. 13, 2017. (Courtesy of U.S. Department of Agriculture, Preston Keres)
LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen and a state senator are looking to modernize a law they say is designed to prevent foreign adversaries and sanctioned nationals from buying land in Nebraska.
State Sen. Barry DeKay of Niobrara, right, speaks with State Sen. Steve Halloran of Hastings. Jan. 5, 2023. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska News Service)
Legislative Bill 1301 , introduced by State Sen. Barry DeKay of Niobrara at Pillen’s request, would make a host of changes to a law that has remained untouched for more than 80 years, adding an enforcement mechanism for the first time .
“What we’re doing is not something that is radically different,” DeKay told the Legislature’s Agriculture Committee on Tuesday, as there is already a legal framework.
A draft amendment reviewed by the Nebraska Examiner would expand restricted land statewide, rather than specifically within 10 miles of military installations. It would also specify that a “nonresident alien” must disclose agricultural land purchases in line with federal law .