- The Texas House is scheduled to consider SB 17, which would prohibit foreign adversaries from owning land in Texas, on Thursday
- SB 17 passed the Texas Senate in March and is supported by Governor Abbott and the Republican Party of Texas
- The Texas House has passed several bills in recent weeks to address threats Texas faces from hostile foreign actors
Senate Bill 17, which would prohibit foreign adversaries from owning land in Texas, has been scheduled to be considered by the Texas House on Thursday.
The legislation is one of Lt. Governor Dan Patrick’s priority bills, and a companion bill – House Bill 17 – is a priority of Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows. Governor Greg Abbott has also publicly voiced support for the legislation.
While some leaders within the Republican Party of Texas initially raised concerns that the bill was not strong enough, a group of activists, including Republican Party of Texas Chairman Abraham George, released a statement last week endorsing the revised version of the bill.
“At the committee hearings on SB 17 in the Senate and HB 17 in the Texas House, grassroots conservatives raised concerns about language in the bill that may make it permissible for certain hostile foreign actors to continue to acquire real property in Texas. The committee substitute currently being brought by Chairman Hefner strengthens the bill and addresses many of the concerns while allowing parts of the bill to go into effect if any of the elements of the bill are challenged in court.
We are thankful for the efforts of Chairwoman Kolkhorst, Chairman Hefner, Attorney General Paxton, Lieutenant Governor Patrick, Speaker Burrows, Governor Abbott and the legislators who have worked to ensure that Texas has a strong prohibition against hostile land ownership,” read the statement.
Senate Bill 17 and House Bill 17 fulfill the Republican Party of Texas’ legislative priority entitled “Texas is Not for Sale.”
After the passage of Senate Bill 17 in the Texas Senate in March, Lt. Governor Patrick said, “It is common sense and good state policy to prohibit our foreign adversaries from purchasing Texas land. Preventing private property from being sold to entities from adversarial nations is a basic tenet of national security. Many Texans have been increasingly concerned by this growing practice over the last few years. The Texas Senate passed this bill last session, but it died in the Texas House. I am optimistic that with the leadership of our new speaker, Dustin Burrows, SB 17 will finally pass the House and become law. I thank Sen. Kolkhorst for her continued leadership on this essential state and national security issue.”
State Representative Cole Hefner, who chairs the House Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans’ Affairs, is the House Sponsor of Senate Bill 17. As Chairman of that Committee, Hefner has prioritized legislation protecting Texas from hostile foreign threats.
The Texas House has passed several bills in recent weeks aimed at addressing threats Texas faces from hostile foreign actors. Those bills include:
- House Bill 34, by Rep. Will Metcalf, would prohibit state funds from being invested in hostile foreign nations, including China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia
- House Bill 119, by Rep. Stan Gerdes, to prohibit lobbyists from being compensated by foreign adversaries
- House Bill 128, by Rep. Angelia Orr, to prohibit sister-city agreements with foreign adversaries
- House Bill 129, by Rep. John McQueeney, would generally prohibit governmental entities from contracting with companies based in adversarial nations
