The Nebraska Legislature has passed LB644, a sweeping new law aimed at exposing and curbing covert influence operations conducted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The measure, which passed on May 30 in a 37–11 vote with one abstention, closes longstanding loopholes that allowed foreign adversaries, such as the CCP, to operate cultural and business fronts in the state of Nebraska without registering as foreign agents. The bill creates two new acts in state law—the Foreign Adversary and Terrorist Agent Registration Act and the Crush Transnational Repression in Nebraska Act.
Central to the legislation is a crackdown on entities tied to the CCP’s powerful United Front Work Department—a sprawling influence and intelligence apparatus described by Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a “magic weapon.” Operating globally, the United Front seeks to shape foreign perceptions of China, suppress dissent, and control overseas Chinese communities. Its methods include funding Confucius Institutes, recruiting political allies, and pressuring Chinese nationals abroad….