Texas pushes back against foreign land grab with 'strongest bill in the nation' against China, Iran, Russia

Texas lawmakers are charging up with what they telephone the nation’s strongest legislative effort yet to artifact hostile overseas powers from purchasing onshore successful the Lone Star State. 

Championed by Republican authorities Rep. Cole Hefner and authorities Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, Senate Bill 17 (SB17) is designed to halt governments and entities tied to countries similar China, Iran, North Korea and Russia from gaining a foothold connected Texas soil.

In an exclusive interrogation with Fox News Digital, Hefner described SB17 arsenic "model legislation" aimed astatine shutting down onshore purchases that airs a nationalist information threat. 

"This measure is astir actions and affiliations, not race, not nationality," Hefner said. "If you’re acting connected behalf of a hostile overseas adversary, we’re going to instrumentality that onshore back."

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Texas authorities Rep. Cole Hefner, center, speaks to chap authorities representatives successful the House enclosure astatine the State Capitol successful Austin. (Tamir Kalifa/Getty Images)

The measure is successful nonstop effect to real-world events. 

Hefner cited the 2021 lawsuit of a retired Chinese wide acquiring implicit 140,000 acres adjacent Laughlin Air Force Base. 

"We've [also] seen the effort of overseas actors oregon hostile overseas adversaries to bargain onshore adjacent to nutrient processing plants," Hefner said. "And it's conscionable thing that we person recovered the much we excavation into it, the much we find that there's a batch of things we don't cognize and a batch of vulnerabilities that are retired there."

The measure prohibits entities and individuals affiliated with governments designated arsenic nationalist information threats, based connected the U.S. Director of National Intelligence’s yearly assessments, from purchasing existent estate if those purchases airs risks to nationalist wellness oregon safety. 

The instrumentality empowers the state's lawyer wide to investigate, artifact and adjacent reverse specified onshore deals done court-ordered receivership.

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Pump jacks enactment a tract successful Luling, Texas. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Under SB17, "real property" includes agricultural, commercial, industrial, and residential onshore arsenic good arsenic mines, minerals, and timber. The instrumentality includes cardinal exemptions for U.S. citizens, lawful imperishable residents, and spot intended arsenic a idiosyncratic homestead.

"The beardown points of our measure is that it tin use to anyone if we tin beryllium they're acting arsenic an agent," said Hefner. "So adjacent if they're from a affable country, but they're really connected behalf of a overseas adversary, past they volition beryllium taxable to the bill."

The measure gives the lawyer wide investigative powers, and authorization to name receivers to negociate oregon merchantability properties acquired successful usurpation of the law.

Hefner pushed backmost hard connected critics who assertion the measure is xenophobic. "This has thing to bash with tegument colour oregon ethnicity," helium said. "It’s astir protecting Texans and Americans from overseas espionage and influence."

The Texas State Capitol successful Austin. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

He besides stressed that SB17 should not beryllium seen arsenic a partisan move. "It shouldn't beryllium a partisan issue. This is astir nationalist security. This is astir keeping our citizens safe," said Hefner. "It's not astir Republican oregon Democrat, it's not wide oregon conservative. It is conscionable taking attraction of our people. 

"And I judge that's the, you know, the fig 1 work of the authorities is to marque definite that radical tin unrecorded escaped and harmless successful their state."

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SB17 is acceptable to instrumentality effect Sept. 1. Hefner said helium hopes the authorities sparks a nationwide effort.