SEN. KOLKHORST ADDRESSES SB 147 CONCERNS
A bill filed by State Senator Lois Kolkhorst restricting certain foreign ownership of Texas lands has the support of Governor Greg Abbott, but has also drawn opposition.
floor during the 2021 Legislative Session.
(courtesy Office of Lois Kolkhorst)
Senate Bill 147 would prohibit citizens, businesses or entities from China, Iran, North Korea and Russia from making land purchases in Texas. Gov. Abbott has said he intends to sign the bill should it come to him, but the bill has come under scrutiny from some lawmakers and members of the public who claim it is discriminatory.
Kolkhorst said the bill will be clarified to reflect that private, legal United States citizens and permanent residents will still be able to purchase land.
Kolkhorst said the bill builds off of SB 2116 from the 2021 Texas Legislature, which prevents those four countries from entering into contracts or agreements in connection to critical infrastructure in Texas. That bill passed unanimously, and she questioned why some legislators are critical of this new bill after voting for the previous one. She also said there are 22 other states that have some form of restriction on foreign national land ownership.
Kolkhorst said this would not stop anyone from doing business in Texas, as they could still lease buildings. She reiterated that this is not a blanket on all foreign countries and is not meant to target any certain ethnic group, only the countries that are considered “hostile to Texas and the United States.”
In her press release first announcing the filing of SB 147, Kolkhorst pointed to the purchase in 2021 of over 130,000 acres by a Chinese-controlled firm for a wind farm near Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio. She said the bill is meant to provide “basic safeguards to ensure Texans remain in control of Texas land.”
Other bills similar to Kolkhorst’s have been introduced in the Senate and the House. Senator Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels) filed SB 552 to ban citizens and companies from the same four countries from purchasing or leasing agricultural land in Texas. Representative Cody Harris (R-Palestine) filed HB 1075 to prevent any foreign governments or companies controlled by a foreign government from owning agricultural land.
Kolkhorst said SB 147 has yet to be referred to committee and anticipates debates on the bill later this spring.