The Georgia House of Representatives advanced a Republican-sponsored bill last week that would prohibit ‘agents’ from China, as well as Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Russia, from purchasing farmland or land near military installations. The vote, secured along party lines, resulted in a 97-67 victory.
Republican lawmakers claim that the bill will strengthen national security, suggesting that land owned by individuals affiliated with China could imperil the nation’s food security and facilitate espionage activities as tensions between the US and China escalate. According to AP News, the bill is presented as a measure to prevent potential spies from these nations from owning property adjacent to military sites, from where they could potentially relay sensitive information back to their home governments.
However, the legislation has elicited concern from Democratic representatives, who worry it could foment discrimination against Asian Americans. The bill has also raised allegations of racial animosity, with Chinese American Democrat, State Representative Michelle Au, stating that she has been accused of being an agent or spy due to her objection to the bill.
To be considered an agent under this bill, the individual has to have acted on behalf of one of the specified nations. Notably, US citizens, legal residents and those who have spent at least 10 months of the past year in Georgia are exempted from the legislation.
Prior to Georgia, other states including Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, and Louisiana have enacted similar restrictions on land sales. However, the law in Florida was subsequently overturned by a Federal Appeals Court on the basis that it was likely to be preempted by federal law.
The bill has now moved for further deliberations and a vote in the Georgia State Senate.
More complete details on this development are available on JURIST’s report here.