Bill Banning Texas Land Purchases By Certain Adversarial Nations Gains Support Of Abbott

Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX), vowed support for legislation that would prohibit such behavior ChineseRussian, Iranian, North Korean, and other entities are prohibited from buying land in Texas.

The billTwo months ago, Republican state Senator Lois Kolkhorst submitted a document that states that citizens, corporations and government agencies from the four nations are covered. “may not purchase or otherwise acquire title to real property” The state. Abbott confirmed On Sunday, he stated that he would support the legislation. However, it has yet to be voted on by legislators.

“The past several years have seen more Texans alarmed by the increased acquisition of land by primarily Chinese interests,” Kolkhorst made the comment in a statement Provided to the Center Square “The growing ownership of Texas land by some foreign entities is highly disturbing and raises red flags for many Texans. By comparison, as an American, go try to buy land near a Chinese military base and see how it works out for you. It would never happen there and it shouldn’t happen here. Passing this law delivers some basic safeguards to ensure Texans remain in control of Texas land.”

Legislation may ban certain foreign entities from purchasing land in Texas. passed It was two years ago that foreign companies were barred from contracts for critical infrastructure, such as electric grids and cybersecurity systems.

According to a report, Texas has the highest amount of foreign-held agricultural land in Texas. report From the Department of Agriculture. Foreigners held more than 4.7million acres of agricultural land in the Lone Star State, which was 3.1% of total land. The amount of land owned by foreigners has increased by 6% between 2019 and 2020.

The United States has less than 1% foreign-owned acres owned by Chinese entities. Canadian investors hold 32% of the country’s agricultural and non-agricultural land. Citizens of other allies like the United Kingdom and the Netherlands account for 31% of foreign land holdings.

Officials often cite national security risks that could result from Chinese land purchases. South Dakota lawmakers, who recently moved We are especially concerned about Chinese entities purchasing state land. acquisition Farmland located near Ellsworth Air Force Base. The purchase of 300 acres near Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota, where some of the nation’s secure drone technology is located, last year by Chinese food company Fufeng Group raised concerns of espionage among authorities.

Ron DeSantis, Florida Republican Governor, has also promised To stop Chinese entities purchasing land in the Sunshine State.

The Biden administration was inaugurated in investigation into Chinese telecommunications conglomerate Huawei last year over concerns that cell towers utilizing the company’s devices are transmitting data on military bases and missile silos to the communist nation. The final rule issued Two months ago, the Federal Communications Commission blocked Huawei, ZTE and Hikvision from importing certain technology that was considered to be a threat for national security.

According to an analysis, Chinese entities made up 6% of foreign residential property sales between April 2021-2022. analysis From the National Association of Realtors. Texas is home to nearly 8% percent of the residential properties that were acquired by foreigners.