- A proposal aimed at curbing the economic influence of Chinese companies, including their ability to own farmland and business real estate, has passed the Kansas House of Representatives.
- The bill also targets other “countries of concern”: Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Venezuela.
- Other bills limit state investment in foreign companies and limit the use of foreign-made drones.
Kansas Republican lawmakers on Wednesday announced plans to prevent individuals and companies from China and other U.S. adversaries from owning farmland and business real estate, restrict state investment in foreign companies and restrict the use of foreign-made drones. submitted a proposal aimed at
Some Republican conservatives, including state Attorney General Kris Kobach, want the state to enact even stricter regulations, even though Democratic critics have suggested the measure is fueling xenophobia. hope to do so.
Kansas already restricts corporate ownership of farmland, and more than 20 other states also restrict foreign ownership, according to the National Farm Law Center. Supporters of such measures say they protect military installations and American citizens from espionage and other national security risks.
Taiwan launches two new naval corvettes to counter growing threat from China
The Republican-controlled Kansas House of Representatives has passed three bills addressing the activities of individuals and companies from “countries of concern” (China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela) and groups designated as terrorist organizations by the U.S. government. approved.
One bill would require that if a citizen owns 10% or more of a company, that company owns farmland or business property within 150 miles of a U.S. military or National Guard base, or other U.S. or state government property important to national security. It is stipulated that real estate owned by institutions cannot be owned. — Enough installations to cover the entire state of Kansas.
Another bill would require countries to divest from companies with ties to listed countries. Third, it would prohibit state and local agencies from acquiring drones with “critical components” manufactured in those countries and require government agencies, including law enforcement, to acquire drones within five years. It is mandatory to replace those parts.
Republican Rep. Nick Hoheisel of Wichita, chairman of the Committee on Pensions, Banking, and National Investment, said, It would be inappropriate for our state to do so.” .
Kansas is considering limiting economic ties with China and other “countries of concern.” (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
The votes were 85-38 for the national investment bill, 84-39 for the foreign land ownership bill, and 83-40 for the anti-drone bill, and all three bills will be sent to the Republican-controlled state Senate. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has not said what she will do next, but a House vote suggested her supporters could win a two-thirds majority to override the veto. .
80 out of 85 House Republicans voted “yes” on all three bills, and 36 out of 40 Democrats voted “no.”
Some Democrats argued in Tuesday’s debate that Republicans were stirring up anti-China sentiment, and Rep. Louis Hsu, a Kansas City-area Democrat, said the land rights bill would not be effective against Asian Americans or Asian Americans. He compared it to decades of U.S. policy that discriminates against immigrants.
A Kansas State University report to lawmakers last fall found that of the state’s 49 million acres of private farmland, only 2.4% is owned by foreign individuals or companies, and more than 94% of that land is solar-powered. He said it could belong to land leased for wind power generation. farm. According to the report, the Chinese owned only one acre.
“It’s become a day of Asian bias in the Kansas Statehouse, and it’s not a proud moment,” Democratic Rep. John Carmichael of Wichita said during Tuesday’s debate.
But supporters of the bill rejected claims that the measure was xenophobic or racist. Hoheisel said human rights violations by states are justified. For example, in explaining his “yes” vote on the investment bill, he described Iran as a place where “women can be stoned to death for being seen in public with men who are not their relatives.” Stated.
Rep. Patrick Penn, also a Wichita Republican, said the land rights bill would protect families by “seeking the truth” about “those who seek to harm us.” Ta.
“Let’s investigate. Let’s know the truth. Let’s be free,” Penn said.
Kobach proposed banning foreigners from owning property larger than three acres in Kansas and creating a new State Lands Council with the power to review individual cases and make exceptions. The proposal is still pending in a Senate committee and has drawn opposition from business and agricultural groups.
When Kobach announced his proposal at a statehouse news conference in February, he said it was more likely than other proposals to lead to an investigation into who is buying land in Kansas.
“A blanket ban would require individuals to go to the state and apply for an exception,” he said.
Democratic critics, meanwhile, say the land ownership bill won’t prevent espionage or other national security threats, but would instead boomerang on immigrant small business owners waiting to become U.S. citizens. insisted.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“To the extent that there are problems, many of them can be addressed by the current ban on corporate ownership of agricultural land,” said Democratic Rep. Boog Heiberger of Lawrence.
