She also proposed bills to teach creation science in public schools, ban the sale and distribution of pornography to minors, and require that misdemeanor offenders compensate their victims.

In 1980, Sharon Reynolds with the Lexington Herald wrote that the Riners would run a "sort of soup kitchen/mission and quasi-rehabilitation center" for the poor out of their home, in that Claudia would cook breakfast for them while her husband gave religious counsel.

She was quoted in The Courier-Journal, advocating for the Kentucky legislature to retract their ratification of the ERA; Riner argued that "the special session did not allow enough time for an intensive study ... We are asking the legislators to take another chance to look at it".

Riner was already well known in the community; by the time of her primary victory, The Courier-Journal remarked that she had "won local recognition for her leadership in the anti-abortion movement".

[12] She won the general election against Republican opponent William F. Payne with 69 percent of the vote,[13] making her the first woman from Madisonville to hold the office of state representative.

She was credited by fellow legislators, including the Democratic majority leader, for her political aptitude and persistence in pushing for bills she believes are morally necessary.

[4][15] Riner is most well known for a law she wrote, requiring that a copy of the Ten Commandments be displayed on a plaque in every Kentucky public school classroom.

[16][17] In an attempt to satisfy the Establishment Clause, the bill carried a fine-print inscription, reading "the secular application of the Ten Commandants is clearly seen in its adoption as the fundamental legal code of Western Civilization and the Common Law of the United States".

[20] During her first term, Riner sponsored a measure to ban the distribution and sale of pornography to minors, which failed in a 5–4 committee vote; objecting members cited already-existing provisions in the law, the role of the state government, and police overreach.

[21][22] She also proposed a bill that would prevent Kentucky from regulating church schools, and her husband organized a rally at the Capitol building in favor of the measure.

[4] In March 1981, Riner dropped out of her campaign for re-election to the Kentucky House of Representatives, allowing her husband, Tom, to run for the seat instead.

The cited reason was that Claudia wished to take care of her six-year-old son, Nicky, who had been diagnosed with a learning disability a few days earlier.

[28] In June 1997, she and her husband purchased radio airtime to push for a congressional resolution opposing increased trade with China due to persecution of Christians.

[29] Four months later, Riner represented home schools in helping enact measure allowing police officers to arrest and transport truants.

[35][36] Riner ran the ads in the hope that they would put pressure on local party leaders to side with her; Patton, however, publicly stated that "she's a disgruntled person because she didn't get her way".