Kansas Governor Laura Kelly vetoed Senate Bill 172 on Friday, which aimed to prevent companies from China and other “foreign adversaries” from acquiring real property near military installations in the state. The bill required individuals or companies from “countries of concern” to divest any interest in land within a 100-mile radius of a military installation in Kansas.
Governor Kelly cited the bill as “overly broad” and “not narrowly tailored” to protect the state from foreign adversaries. She expressed concerns about the constitutionality and unintended consequences of the legislation, particularly its retroactive nature. Kelly emphasized the importance of implementing stronger protections against bad actors while maintaining legitimate business relationships with potential trading partners and small businesses in Kansas.
Foreign investors from China currently own a single acre of privately held agricultural land in Kansas, according to a report by Kansas State University. Despite China being listed as a U.S. foreign adversary, it remains the state’s third-largest export market as of 2021, following Mexico and Canada.
Kansas Republicans, including House Speaker Dan Hawkins, Majority Leader Chris Croft, and Speaker Pro Tempore Blake Carpenter, voiced disappointment over Governor Kelly’s veto. They criticized her decision, stating that it puts military installations in Kansas at risk and leaves critical infrastructure vulnerable to adversarial foreign governments.
Similar legislation has been introduced in other states such as Georgia, Iowa, Utah, and Oklahoma, aiming to restrict land acquisition by foreign adversaries. The South Carolina Senate also passed a bill in March partly banning companies or citizens of foreign adversaries from acquiring real property in the state.
Stop AAPI Hate, a coalition advocating against discrimination towards Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, condemned the measure, warning that it could fuel xenophobia within Asian American communities. The organization expressed concerns about labeling communities as untrustworthy and stoking racism and hate.
As of December 2021, China owned 383,935 acres of U.S. agricultural land, representing a significant increase from previous years. While this acreage is a small percentage of all foreign-held agricultural land, it signifies a substantial growth in Chinese ownership over the past decade. Please rewrite this sentence.
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