Merv Riepe

This bill updates real estate statutes and strengthens provisions under the Foreign-owned Real Estate National Security Act to address ownership of land by foreign entities. This bill bolsters Nebraska’s ability to keep farmland and strategic property out of the hands of foreign adversaries like communist China. CPAC supports strong protections against foreign adversaries buying up American farmland and supported this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-04-03 by a vote of 47-0. The bill later became law.

This bill adopts the Parental Rights in Social Media Act to give parents more control over their children’s online activity, strengthens Nebraska’s child pornography laws, and explicitly bans computer-generated child sexual abuse material that predators could otherwise exploit. CPAC supports stronger parental authority and tough penalties for child predators and supported this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-05-14 by a vote of 46-3. The bill later became law.

This bill changes school policy requirements to explicitly address and strengthen how parents, guardians, and educational decisionmakers are involved in school governance and communication. CPAC supports restoring parental authority and oversight in education and supported this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-04-25 by a vote of 41-5. The bill later became law.

This bill prohibits cities and other political subdivisions from enacting ordinances that amount to rent control on private property, stopping local governments from imposing destructive price controls on housing. CPAC supports strong landlord property rights and opposes socialist rent control schemes and supported this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-04-03 by a vote of 37-10. The bill later became law.

This bill requires every school board to adopt a policy that ensures parents, guardians, or educational decisionmakers can access information about materials in school libraries. It strengthens parental rights by allowing families to know exactly what content is being made available to their children. CPAC strongly supports parental rights and transparency in education and supported this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-04-10 by a vote of 34-14. The bill later became law.

This bill changes the examination requirements for obtaining a barber license in Nebraska, potentially reducing burdens on individuals entering the profession. CPAC supported this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-03-06 by a vote of 48-0. The bill later became law.

This bill modifies provisions related to the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Act and the Child Care Tax Credit Act, expanding eligibility and increasing government intervention in the housing and childcare sectors. Such measures lead to market distortion and dependency on taxpayer-funded programs. CPAC opposed this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-02-21 by a vote of 46-2. The bill later became law.

This bill changes and eliminates provisions regarding eligibility for benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) while removing evaluation and reporting requirements, reducing oversight of taxpayer-funded welfare programs. CPAC opposed this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-05-28 by a vote of 41-8. The bill later became law.

This bill changes provisions under the Economic Recovery Act to alter how grant funding is allocated for business parks, potentially increasing taxpayer dollars directed toward select projects instead of fostering broad-based economic growth. CPAC opposed this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-05-28 by a vote of 31-18. The bill later became law.

This bill merges the Department of Natural Resources with the Department of Environment and Energy to form the Department of Water, Energy, and Environment, creates a new Chief Water Officer position, and alters responsibilities related to water, conservation, state game refuges, and radioactive waste disposal. It risks growing unnecessary government oversight in environmental management. CPAC opposed this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-05-01 by a vote of 34-12. The bill later became law.

This bill changes eligibility requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), potentially expanding access to benefits and increasing the taxpayer burden for welfare programs. It risks incentivizing dependency over self-sufficiency. CPAC opposed this bill The Senate passed this bill on 2025-05-19 by a vote of 32-17. The bill was later vetoed by the governor and did not become law.

This bill changes the process for legislative approval of proposals to incorporate land into the state park system, ensuring elected representatives play a key role in decisions regarding land use and state resources. CPAC supported this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-05-14 by a vote of 46-3. The bill later became law.