Latest news with #SB1109
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
This governor vetoed a bill that would ban China from purchasing land. Here's why
Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs is facing criticism for vetoing a bill that would have prevented China from buying land in the state. In her veto letter, dated June 2, Hobbs said she considered protecting infrastructure important. 'However, this legislation is ineffective at counter-espionage and does not directly protect our military assets,' she said in the letter. 'Additionally, it lacks clear implementation criteria and opens the door to arbitrary enforcement.' Foreign entities own about 40 million acres, or 3%, of U.S. farmland as of 2021. Out of this, China owns 1%, much lower in comparison to Canada, which owns 33%, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This may seem like a small percentage, but it carries sizable national security implications, whether it's over concerns of who is controlling U.S. assets or whether the land could be used to conduct espionage. The bill in Arizona set out to address these concerns. In Arizona's Maricopa and Pinal counties, more than 294,000 acres of agricultural land is owned by Chinese corporations, as per the USDA Farm Services Agency. When Hobbs announced her decision to veto the bipartisan bill, she faced pushback. Arizona state Senate Majority Leader Janae Shamp claimed the veto was 'politically motivated' and 'utterly insane.' Shamp introduced the bill to protect the 'state's military, commercial and agricultural assets from foreign espionage and sabotage,' per the text of the legislation. She claims China attempted to lease land next to Luke Air Force Base, where the military trains fighter pilots. Michael Lucci, the CEO and founder of State Armor Action, a nonprofit organization that is pushing 70 bills targeting China in states across the country, said Hobbs hung an ''Open for the CCP' sign on Arizona's front door,' and made critical assets like Luke Air Force Base, Palo Verde nuclear power plant and Taiwan Semiconductor factory more vulnerable. 'Allowing Communist China to buy up land near our critical assets is a national security risk, plain and simple,' Lucci told Fox News. 'Gov. Hobbs is substantively and completely wrong when she says that SB 1109 'is ineffective at counter-espionage and does not directly protect our military assets.'' The White House attempted to ban China from buying U.S. land. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins confirmed this move earlier in February. 'One of the very, very top of the list perhaps is the Chinese purchase of our farmland. A lot of that land is around some of our military outposts,' Rollins told Breitbart News. Many states, especially the ones led by Republicans, are taking note. As of March 17, 27 states are considering 84 bills that restrict foreign property ownership in some way, according to Committee of 100, a nonprofit that advocates for Chinese Americans. Twenty-two states passed nearly 40 bills that restrict foreign property ownership, 17 of which became law last year. The idea of curbing investments from foreign adversaries into the U.S. for national security reasons isn't new. The U.S. restricted Chinese-based telecommunication company Huawei from doing business with American companies. Beijing-based social media app TikTok has so far survived a ban passed by Congress and upheld by the Supreme Court, thanks to President Donald Trump, who extended the deadline for its Chinese parent company ByteDance to divest the app's assets in the U.S. It's possible Trump will extend the deadline a third time ahead of June 19, considering the app has 170 million users in the U.S. Still, the idea of restricting certain foreign investments isn't as popular in the Western U.S. as it is in the Midwest and the South. Only Idaho and Utah have laws on the books against international property buyers. Meanwhile, Nevada, California, Arizona, Oregon, Colorado and New Mexico do not. In the Beehive State, foreign-owned land is less than 40,000 acres. But it ranks in the top five in the country for the amount of acreage at risk due to the number of key military installations it hosts, including Hill Air Force Base, the Utah Test and Training Range and Dugway Proving Ground, as the Deseret News previously reported. Utah's foreign investment restriction laws attempt to nip the problem in the bud instead of letting it fester. Last year, the GOP-held state Legislature passed HB516, which prevents some countries — North Korea, China, Iran and Russia — from buying land in Utah. As the Deseret News previously reported, this bill sought to address national security concerns. The Utah Department of Public Safety is tasked with documenting these land holdings and compiling a database to reverse foreign investments. Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, originally cosponsored a bill that would address this issue on the national level. In 2023, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed another bill, the Restrictions on Foreign Acquisitions of Land Act, that prohibits or restricts foreign investments and landholdings in Utah. In 2023, the Idaho Legislature codified a law that would restrict foreign governments or foreign-government owned businesses from buying farmland in the state or holding claims to any mineral or water. The Legislature fell short of enacting any enforcement for this law but remedied this two years later. In April, Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed a law that authorized the state's attorney general to enforce the foreign ownership law.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dem governor ripped as 'total disgrace' after vetoing bill limiting Chinese land ownership near military bases
Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who is up for reelection this year, garnered backlash Tuesday after vetoing a bill aimed at preventing China from buying up land next to strategic assets, such as military bases. Arizona state Senate Majority Leader Janae Shamp said the "politically motivated veto" was "utterly insane," blaming Hobbs for being "an obstructionist against safeguarding our citizens from threats." However, Hobbs said the bill, S.B. 1109, was "ineffective at counter-espionage" and did not "directly protect" American military assets in the state. Texas Pushes Back Against Foreign Land Grab With 'Strongest Bill In The Nation' Against China, Iran, Russia Chinese investment in land near military bases has become an increasing concern for national security hawks. Shamp, in her efforts to get the now-vetoed bill passed, cited recent Chinese attempts to lease buildings alongside Arizona's Luke Air Force Base, where the military trains fighter pilots. "Governor Hobbs's veto of SB 1109 hangs an 'Open for the CCP' sign on Arizona's front door, allowing Communist China to buy up American land near critical assets like Luke Air Force Base, Palo Verde nuclear power plant, and Taiwan Semiconductor's growing fabrication footprint," said Michael Lucci, the CEO and founder of State Armor Action, a conservative group with a mission to develop and enact state-level solutions to global security threats. Read On The Fox News App "Allowing Communist China to buy up land near our critical assets is a national security risk, plain and simple, and Governor Hobbs is substantively and completely wrong when she says that SB 1109 'is ineffective at counter-espionage and does not directly protect our military assets,'" Lucci added. Lucci pointed to Ukraine's recent drone attacks that destroyed significant numbers of Russian military aircraft, noting that "proximity produces peril in asymmetric warfare." After Ukraine's Surprise Drone Assault On Russia, New Attention Drawn To Sensitive Sites Stateside S.B. 1109, which can still pass if the Arizona legislature overrides Hobbs' veto, would have prohibited the People's Republic of China from having a 30%, or more, stake in Arizona property. Hobbs, in her defense of the veto, added that in addition to being ineffective at countering Chinese espionage efforts, the bill lacked "clear implementation criteria," which opened the door for "arbitrary enforcement." However, the bill went through a bipartisan amendment process in an effort to assuage those concerns that the legislation might lead to discrimination in land sales, according to local outlet the AZ Mirror. The initial version of the bill banned certain people and entities deemed to be national security threats from buying up land in Arizona, but following subsequent amendments the bill only sought to ban Chinese government-linked entities and its subsidiaries. In addition to Arizona, other states have proposed or passed legislation aimed at curtailing Chinese land grabs in the United States. Congress has also taken steps in an effort to effectuate change through national policy. As of March 17, according to the China-focused nonprofit Committee of 100, 27 states are currently considering 84 bills aimed at restricting foreign property ownership in some way, while Congress is currently considering seven separate bills addressing the issue. So far, the committee indicated, 22 states have passed bills restricting foreign property ownership, 17 of which were passed into law in article source: Dem governor ripped as 'total disgrace' after vetoing bill limiting Chinese land ownership near military bases
Forbes
31-03-2025
- Health
- Forbes
Texas Lawmakers Consider Bill To Boost Supply Of Dental Care Providers
Texas House Representatives 2025 is poised to be a very consequential year for Texas public policy. Several major reforms favored by Governor Greg Abbott (R) that did not pass in prior sessions appear destined to reach his desk this session, including bills making education savings accounts available to all families, further reining in property taxes, and tightly restricting taxpayer-funded lobbying. The new Speaker of the Texas House, Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock), and the leader of the Texas Senate, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick (R), along with the Governor, have details to work out on all these issues. Still, the three seem to be working in the same policy direction. Another, less covered matter on which Governor Abbott, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick (R), and Speaker Burrows agree is occupational licensing reform. In particular, there is agreement among legislative leadership in both chambers that occupational licensing requirements should be reformed in a way that will make them a less costly and burdensome impediment to working in Texas. In particular, legislative leaders in Texas are interested in reforms that will make it easier for licensed professionals whose services are in demand to get to work more easily and quickly in Texas, one of the nation's fastest growing states. In fact, a bill that would help rectify the shortage of dental care providers in Texas will be considered by members of the Texas House Public Health Committee during a hearing on Monday, March 31. That legislation, House Bill 1803, would make Texas the newest member of the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact (DDHC). Enactment of HB 1803 would increase the supply of oral health care providers able to treat Texans by allowing dentists and dental hygienists who are licensed in other DDHC member states to offer their services in Texas, which is currently underserved when it comes to the supply of oral health care. The Kaiser Family Health Foundation reports that less than 29% of Texas's oral health care needs are met by the existing in-state supply of dental care providers. Kaiser has identified 261 certified dental health shortage areas across the state that are home to more than two million Texans. Aside from the documented need to increase the supply of oral health care providers who are available to treat Texans, there is another reason why HB 1803 and its companion in the Texas Senate, SB 1109, are likely to gain traction. Among the top policy priorities this year for Governor Abbott, Lt. Governor Patrick, and Speaker Burrows, occupational licensing reform of the sort found in HB 1803/SB 1109 is most likely to garner bipartisan support. In fact, the Texas House approved legislation to join the DDHC last session in 2023 with near unanimous support (only one dissenting vote). Beyond the wide, bipartisan vote by which the Texas House has already voted to join the DDHC, the politically diverse roster of DDHC member states — which are blue, red, and purple — underscores the compact's broad appeal. Aside from Arkansas, current DDHC members include Tennessee, Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, Maine, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, and Washington. With legislation for additional states to join the DDHC now pending in, aside from Texas and Arizona, Missouri, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, the list is poised to grow in 2025. Though the DDHC is one of the newer interstate compacts for licensed professions, it is one of the fastest growing. Arkansas became the most recent state to join the DDHC with legislation enacted this month by Governor Sarah Sanders and state legislators in Little Rock. Legislation to join the DDHC is now under consideration in Arizona. Whether Texas or Arizona is the next state to join the DDHC, many other states are expected to follow suit in the coming months and years.
