Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) signed a bill into law that bans entities connected to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from purchasing land in the state. The law will go into effect on September 1.
“I signed SB 17 which is the toughest ban in America on preventing the sale of our land and other property to individuals and companies from China, Iran, North Korea & Russia,” Abbott declared this week.
“Just this month, Chinese nationals were arrested attempting to smuggle bioweapons in Michigan,” Abbott’s press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, told Courthouse News. “Foreign threats to our country are real, and we must safeguard against those who wish us harm.”
As the bill headed to Abbott’s desk last month, State Senator Lois Kolkhorst (R) said the bill had been in the works for three years.
“Texas is not for sale to our enemy countries!” she wrote on social media. “Grateful to all the members who worked to pass this bill and to the grassroots who stayed with us through two sessions to finally get this done.”
SB 17 lists China as posing “health risks to the world,” Russia as sowing “political discord in the West,” Iran as engaging in “aggressive cyber operations,” and North Korea as pursuing “military capabilities that threaten the United States.” Individuals from these countries may still purchase land in the state if they are legally in the United States and seek the property as a primary residence.
Earlier this month, a similar bill was vetoed by Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs (D).
In discussing her veto, Hobbs said, “Improvements to systems that protect our infrastructure are important. However, this legislation is ineffective at counter-espionage and does not directly protect our military assets. Additionally, it lacks clear implementation criteria and opens the door to arbitrary enforcement.”
