Posted on 01/16/2023 9:39:58 AM PST by cutty
This follows the “Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act” banning all contracts with foreign-owned companies related to critical infrastructure signed by Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott.
A bill has been filed in the Texas legislature that would ban citizens, governments and entities of China, Iran, North Korea and Russia from purchasing land in Texas
Republican state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst filed SB 147 to ban certain foreign governments and entities associated with them from purchasing real property in Texas.
It follows an executive order issued by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last year but includes fewer countries and far less prohibitions.
The bill would prohibit certain foreign individuals or entities from purchasing or otherwise acquiring title to real property in Texas. They include a governmental entity of China, Iran, North Korea or Russia; a company or other entity that is headquartered in these countries or is directly or indirectly held or controlled by the governments of these countries; owned by or the majority of stock or other ownership interest of which is held or controlled by individuals who are citizens of these countries; or a citizen of these countries, among other stipulations, according to the bill language.
“The past several years have seen more Texans alarmed by the increased acquisition of land by primarily Chinese interests,” Kolkhorst said in a news release. “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."
The bill was filed after the Texas legislature unanimously passed the “Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act” banning all contracts or agreements with foreign-owned companies related to critical infrastructure in Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott signed it into law in 2021.
The legislature acted after a Chinese billionaire and former Chinese People’s Liberation Army general bought over 130,000 acres of land just miles from Laughlin Air Force base in Val Verde County, the largest air force pilot training base in the U.S.
According to a 2022 National Association of Realtors report, Chinese investors accounted for 6% of foreign buyers who spent over $6 billion on U.S. real estate between March 2021 and March 2022. Top foreign buyers were from Canada and Mexico.
Foreign buyers purchased the third-greatest amount of U.S. land in Texas of 8%. They purchased the most in Florida of 24% an the second most in California of 11%.
According to a Defend Texas Liberty PAC poll conducted last October among registered Republican voters, 82% agreed that “Texas should prohibit the Chinese government or Chinese citizens from purchasing land in Texas.” Only 10% said it shouldn’t.
While Kolkhorst’s bill targets only the four countries and is related to real estate, DeSantis took action against seven countries and issued far broader prohibitions.
Last September, DeSantis issued an executive order prohibiting government entities from procuring technology products and services from companies owned by, controlled by or domiciled in seven foreign countries of concern: China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Russia and Venezuela.
Doing so would “curtail the nefarious intentions” of these countries in the areas of cyberspace, real estate, and academia to protect Floridians, he said.
His order directed the Department of Management Services to promulgate rules and take any additional action necessary to ensure commodities and services used by state and local governments are not susceptible to exploitation by these countries. It also prohibited state and local governments from procuring or utilizing technology services that DMS determined posed a risk to the safety and security of Florida due to the company's connections to or use by one of the seven countries, among other factors.
Doing so, DeSantis said, “will help prevent the exposure of government information and technology services and systems in Florida to other state and non-state actors affiliated with” the seven countries.
DeSantis also proposed legislative action to prohibit government entities from contracting with companies owned by, controlled by, or domiciled in the seven countries if the contract would provide access to Floridians’ personal information and to prohibit any of the seven countries from purchasing agricultural land and land surrounding military bases in Florida.
Florida also changed its retirement system fund strategy to ensure state funds weren’t invested in Chinese or “woke corporations.”
It also banned Confucius Institute from Florida universities and colleges. The institutes were used to “bring propaganda into our universities, as if our universities don’t have enough problems already,” DeSantis said.
YES! It’s about time!
China does not own the US Of A. Congratulations to Texas for standing up to the chicom bullies.
Entities from California, Illinois, New York?
Long hard road back but it comes down to the states as it always was. The feds found ways to offer the carrot so they could get their foot in the door
I have never understood why we let foreign persons and entities buy property in the US. Perhaps certain foreign individuals could buy individual homes (no more than one at a time as a residence) but otherwise no.
And sorry, China entities and Chinese nationals should be OUT of this country. Lets start with them.
Quite frankly if 99% of all colleges and universities went out of business that would be a good thing.
Just starting to feel like BURN IT DOWN is a good idea and since we’re going to end up there maybe we SHOULD start the fire.
I really wish other states would similarly wake up to the Chinese taking over the U.S. by simply BUYING it. When I moved out of NYC, a good deal of the reason I moved was that the Chinese were buying up Queens and Brooklyn. You saw people that didn’t look like they had the proverbial pot to relieve themselves in pony up cash to buy any and all houses and condos for sale. They didn’t look for mortgages, they paid CASH. Sometimes actual greenbacks in shopping bags (I would not accept their greenbacks when I sold my home, as they could have been counterfeit). And one wondered where such people of obviously modest means got that kind of money to buy properties for cash. Then I heard someone give the answer: the local Chinese churches got money from China and distributed the funds to congregants—money laundering. So China was buying these properties through these church members. We wondered how this could possibly be legal, or how it could be legal for China to be buying up millions of acres of farmland in flyover country or large businesses like Smithfield. But, a few bucks greasing the right legislators’ palms, and there will be no prohibition of these invaders buying our country out from under us.
I never understood why any foreigner could buy property in the US. Renting OK, but not buying.
GOOD!!!!
Maybe we can get other states to join that!
China buying land near the Minot air force base , etc.. is bad for us
This is a step in the right direction, but the counter move to this will be that foreign entities will simply incorporate in friendly Blue states and claim violation of the Privileges and Immunities clause of the U.S. Constitution. States have engaged in compacts to share data about U.S. citizens to deprive them of privacy and rights such as driving privileges, but have been very slow to do the same with foreign owned companies.
DeSantis leads, Abbott quickly follows, so goes the rest of the nation.
An Anerican cannot own even a square inch of land in China.
Foreign entities? How about illegal immigrants?
100% in agreeance with this bill to ban China, Russia, Iran and other countries from purchasing land in the state of Texas. Should be nationwide in fact - that you have to be a citizen, or resident alien working toward citizenship to own land.
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