Sponsors say Senate Bill 394 would block U.S. adversarial foreign governments from purchasing or leasing agricultural land and property within a 50-mile radius of military installations. (Photo: Clayton Henkel/NC Newsline)
Legislation to prohibit foreign companies from buying land near military bases in North Carolina took another step forward Tuesday in the House Homeland Security committee.
Senate Bill 394 would block companies in China, Iran, Russia, North Korea and other countries deemed by the federal government to be “adversarial” from purchasing, acquiring, leasing, or holding any interest in agricultural land and property within a 50-mile radius of a military installation.
Senator Bob Brinson (R- Craven) (Photo: NCGA)Senator Bob Brinson (R-Craven) said the bill is an effort to protect North Carolina’s military bases while acknowledging that food is a national security issue.
Under the bill, a prohibited foreign party that has already acquired land may continue to own or hold the property, but may not acquire additional property.
The Secretary of State would be required to maintain a registry, updated monthly, of prohibited foreign parties that have registered properties. If a prohibited party fails to register, they could be fined at least $1,000 per day. Any unpaid balance would trigger a lien on the land.
Brinson said the House already passed similar legislation in April. Sponsors in the Senate are now working through concerns about the bill with the North Carolina Bar Association and the North Carolina Realtors Association, as well as various Asian advocacy groups in both Wake and Mecklenburg counties.
Rep. Julie von Haefen (D-Wake) said similar bills started popping up across the country when President Donald Trump raised the issue of foreign ownership of farmland in the 2024 presidential campaign. But she said Trump appears to have changed his mind.
Rep. Julie von Haefen (D-Wake) (Photo: NCGA)“It’s my understanding that he reversed course on that, actually just a couple of weeks ago,” said von Haefen.
Von Haefen said she had hoped to run four amendments to improve upon the bill but was told her amendments would not be heard in committee.
She told committee members the proposed 50-mile radius prohibiting foreign ownership would essentially cover the distance between Fayetteville and Raleigh, creating a “massive hurdle” for business development in the state.
“In many other states where these bills have passed, including Florida, Indiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Ohio, and Georgia, they have a 10-mile radius,” said von Haefen. She said a 25-mile radius would be more reasonable.
Von Haefen also wanted to remove a provision to ban foreign companies from leasing land.
“We don’t need to be blocking leasing,” von Haefen said. “I think that the point of the bill is to block ownership, and that would also allow more development in North Carolina.”
Brinson said lawmakers can argue about how big or small to make the protective radius around a military installation, but the intent is to give North Carolina’s military more reaction time if facing a foreign threat. A commercial drone can cover five miles in just over three minutes, Brinson said.
“Local and state law enforcement do not have detection systems around military bases, although I’d love to change that in subsequent sessions,” Brinson told the committee. “As such, military bases require [a buffer] to protect themselves from base intrusions.”
Bill Toole, a senior deputy with the North Carolina Secretary of State’s office, said his agency has no problem with the intent of the bill, but does need more resources.
“We need IT support, we need servers, and manpower necessary to meet that mission as you give it to us,” said Toole. “Right now, we can’t answer all the phone calls we’ve got.”
The bill’s sponsor was unmoved.
Brinson said it took him just three minutes searching the USDA’s website to find 39 properties registered in North Carolina that are owned by U.S. adversaries. Thirty-six of those properties are owned by China’s WH Group, which owns Smithfield Foods.
NC lawmakers revamp bills to bar ‘adversarial’ nations from farmland
“I can understand that there was a concern when this bill covered all individuals that were citizens of those adversarial countries,” said Brinson. “It has been reduced to just companies.”
If the bill passes, the North Carolina Real Estate Commission and the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs would publish a map outlining the boundaries of military facilities by December.
Senate Bill 394 advanced on a voice vote Tuesday and heads next to the House Rules Committee.
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