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Gov. Pillen & Sen. Bostar Ceremonially Sign Landmark Law to Shield Nebraska from Foreign Threats
LINCOLN, NE – Friday, Governor Jim Pillen was joined by Senator Eliot Bostar, FBI Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel, and national security advocates for a ceremonial signing of LB 1096. Brought at the request of Governor Pillen and introduced by Sen. Bostar, LB 1096 enacts sweeping protections to defend Nebraska’s agricultural economy, energy and utility grids, public records, and communications infrastructure against hostile foreign adversaries and biological threats.
“Let’s be blunt: nations like China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are actively probing American infrastructure every single day. The CCP has made no secret of its desire to undermine American agriculture and infiltrate our technological backbone,” said Gov. Pillen. “Nebraska will not sit back and wait for crisis to happen. We are taking offensive action to secure our fields, our grids, and our networks right now.”
LB 1096 establishes comprehensive statewide defense measures against nations like the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that seek to infiltrate, disrupt, or compromise essential American infrastructure and food production.
“I’m appreciative of everything that we’ve accomplished in LB 1096 this year. The security of our agriculture, critical infrastructure, telecommunications, and financial systems is a necessary priority for our state. I’m thankful for all of the state, federal, and law enforcement partners who continue to support our efforts to protect Nebraskans,” added Sen. Bostar
The new law establishes four critical areas of protection across state operations. Under the PLANT Act, LB 1096 safeguards Nebraska’s top industry against biological sabotage by making the unpermitted importation of high-risk pathogens or pests a Class III felony. The law elevates the offense to a Class IIA felony if it involves origin concealment, foreign adversary funding, or causes over $1 million in economic damage to Nebraska’s agricultural sector.
“The FBI is focused on stopping hostile intelligence operations and cyberattacks from foreign adversaries—but we can’t do it alone. Hackers backed by the People’s Republic of China have targeted critical U.S. infrastructure, including water systems, the power grid, pipelines, transportation networks, the telecommunications sector, and even home routers and cameras,” said FBI Agent Kowel.
“Here in the heartland, a major cyber or bioterrorism attack on the agriculture sector, whether from a criminal actor or a foreign adversary, could be devastating. Our robust partnership with state government, private industry, law enforcement, and academia is our most powerful asset in combatting these threats.”
To protect essential utilities and power networks, LB 1096 establishes strict contractual prohibitions. Governmental entities and critical infrastructure companies are prohibited from entering into contracts that allow foreign principals or hostile nations direct or remote system access. This prohibition applies to 911 dispatch networks, high-voltage electric grids, water and hazardous waste treatment facilities, and telecommunications systems.
Furthermore, the law authorizes state entities to withhold sensitive technical records concerning critical water, telecommunications, and broadband infrastructure to prevent hostile actors from mapping system vulnerabilities through public record requests. Finally, LB 1096 enforces a strict deadline of Nov. 8, 2026, for communications providers to strip all hardware and software manufactured by prohibited foreign vendors from Nebraska towers, backed by civil enforcement through the Attorney General and Public Service Commission (PSC).
“This is the fourth year in a row where Nebraska has led the nation,” said founder, CEO, and Chairman of State Armor Michael Lucci. “Nowhere are there better state leaders than here in Nebraska for these critical issues.
“Nebraska’s 1096 provides the best state solution for all of these problems, removing those technologies that we know provide a backdoor into our critical infrastructure, and removing the allowance for the privilege for financial technology companies controlled by the Chinese Communist Party to harvest the data of Nebraskans. This law sets the example for the rest of the country,” continued Lucci.
“The continued effort of legislation with real teeth that this bill represents to impose deadlines on telecommunications carriers to actually remove the problematic ear is extremely important,” said Jackie Deal, also with State Armor. “It’s helping accelerate implementation of a bill that’s actually taking too long to get implemented at the federal level and that would be the secure and trusted Telecommunications Act that was originally proposed in 2019 and passed in 2020.”
With the enactment of this bill, Nebraska sets a new national benchmark for state-level defense against foreign hostile regimes. By taking proactive measures to shield its fields, power grids, and digital networks today, the state ensures that its critical assets remain secure, sovereign, and resilient for generations to come.
“Homeland security starts at home,” Gov. Pillen added. “We will continue to be a national leader in protecting our state against foreign threats.”
Eugene Kowel from the FBI speaks at signing of LB 1096
Michael Lucci from State Armor speaks at signing of LB 1096
Gov. Pillen presents copy of LB 1096 to Sen. Bostar
