Latest news with #Balkcom
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bills to ban foreign purchase of farmland, social media for minors move forward in NC House
The North Carolina Legislative Building (Photo: Clayton Henkel) On a busy day at the North Carolina General Assembly, the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee approved pair of bills that have received a good deal of public attention. House Bill 133, 'NC Farmland and Military Protection Act,' sponsored by Reps. Jennifer Balkcom (R-Henderson), Neal Jackson (R-Moore, Randolph), Jeff Zenger (R-Forsyth), and John Bell (R-Goldsboro), would ban 'adversarial' foreign governments from purchasing, acquiring, or leasing agricultural land in North Carolina. The restrictions would also apply to land situated within a 75-mile radius of a military installation — a number influenced by national defense recommendations, Balkcom said — such as Fort Bragg near Fayetteville. A complete list of applicable installations is outlined in the bill text. The measure comes at the same time that international tensions have been on the rise amidst the Trump administration's tariffs on foreign trade partners. HB 133 defines 'adversarial' foreign governments as the ones subject to the U.S. State Department's International Traffic in Arms Regulations, according to the bill text, but does not explicitly outline the nations. Its counterpart in the upper chamber, Senate Bill 394, 'Prohibit Foreign Ownership of NC Land,' passed the Senate Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Committee last week and specifies the 'adversarial' governments as China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. Rep. Phil Sheperd (R-Onslow) asked if the bill had anything to do with legislation in previous years aimed towards reimbursing farmers for the purchase of their land. Balkcom responded that the bill is more of a preventative measure. Instead of incentivizing farmers to sell their land, it targets foreign groups and bars them from purchasing the property. 'This is basically protecting it from being able to sell, those who do were not given any incentive to do it,' she said. Rep. Jay Adams (R-Catawba) brought up the legality and constitutionality of preventing a landowner from selling their property to a ready, willing buyer. 'Private property rights are crucial here, but so is national security,' Balkcom said. 'The way we look at this bill doesn't impact private buyers or U.S. companies. It applies only to entities controlled by foreign governments designated an adversary from our own federal agency.' The bill now heads to the House Rules Committee. The committee also approved House Bill 301, 'Social Media Protections for Minors Under 16.' According to a legislative staff summary, the bill would — among other things: Prohibit social media platforms from allowing minors under the age of 14 to create an account. Prohibit social media platforms from allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to create an account without parental consent. Require social media platforms to use age verification to verify the age of account holders. Authorize the Department of Justice to bring an action for unfair and deceptive trade practices against a social medial platform that violates these provisions and collect a civil penalty of up to $50,000 per violation. Authorize a civil action on behalf of a minor account holder and an award of up to $10,000 in damages. HB 301 moves to the House Rules Committee for further discussion.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bills banning foreign ownership of NC farmland advance
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service photo by Brandon O'Connor. Two committees in the North Carolina General Assembly voted Tuesday morning to approve legislation banning certain foreign entities from acquiring farmland in the state. The House Homeland Security and Military and Veterans Affairs Committee took up House Bill 133, 'NC Farmland and Military Protection Act.' About an hour later, the Senate Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Committee approved the upper chamber's counterpart, Senate Bill 394, 'Prohibit Foreign Ownership of NC Land.' Both measures now head to subsequent panels — House Commerce and Economic Development and Senate Judiciary, respectively. At a time of rocky international relations due to the Trump administration's tariffs, the legislation could signify a move toward increased tension with foreign countries. HB 133, sponsored by Reps. Jennifer Balkcom (R-Henderson), Neal Jackson (R-Moore, Randolph), Jeff Zenger (R-Forsyth), and John Bell (R-Goldsboro), would prohibit 'adversarial' foreign governments from purchasing, acquiring, or leasing agricultural land in North Carolina, according to the bill text. The restrictions would also apply to land situated within a 75-mile radius of a military installation — a number influenced by national defense recommendations, Balkcom said — such as Fort Bragg near Fayetteville. A complete list of applicable installations is outlined in the bill text. 'If it was up to me, I'd do the entire state,' Balkcom said. 'But this doesn't infringe on private property rights. You can sell it to anybody but a foreign national that's an adversary against the United States.' Rep. Celeste Cairns (R-Carteret, Craven) asked for clarification on the bill's parameters. She asked if people would be able to sell property to individual citizens of the 'adversarial' countries without connection to their government. Balkcom responded in the affirmative. In response to a question from Rep. Wyatt Gable (R-Onslow) about how the 'adversarial' governments are defined, she said there's guidance from the U.S. Department of Defense. Although the bill doesn't list specific countries, it refers to governments subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Over in the upper chamber, Sens. Bob Brinson (R-Beaufort, Craven, Lenoir), Bobby Hanig (R-Bertie, Camden, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell), and Timothy Moffitt (R-Henderson, Polk, Rutherford) serve as the primary sponsors for SB 394. The measure explicitly refers to the 'adversarial' nations by name: China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. Brinson described the legislation as a state effort to protect national security, because 'food security is national security.' 'The key purpose of this bill is to both safeguard our agricultural integrity and to protect our national security,' he said. 'This bill ensures that North Carolina farmland does not come under international adversarial control, and also prevents adversarial nations from acquiring land near sensitive military installations.' SB 394 is more restrictive than its House counterpart. The proposal bars the prohibited foreign parties from making claims to land situated within a 25-mile radius of a military installation or land underneath special use airspace as designated by the Federal Aviation Administration. Sen. Lisa Grafstein (D-Wake) pointed out there is a growing population of Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans in the state. She asked if the bill would ban someone from purchasing land if they are a legal resident of the U.S. with Chinese citizenship. 'If they're a resident alien of the U.S., they have the same right to acquire or hold land as a citizen, as long as they're a resident in the state,' Brinson said. 'As long as they are a legal resident alien, they should have the same land ownership rights as a citizen.'
