Texas lawmakers moved forward with an amendment to a bill Thursday, May 8, that would allow the governor to decide which nation’s residents, governments, businesses and groups could be barred from buying property in the state. Members of the Texas House gave the governor the power under an amendment to Senate Bill 17, which restricted real estate purchases from countries the U.S. national director of intelligence has deemed national security risks. Those nations currently include just China, Iran, North Korea and Russia, as reported by The Texas Tribune.
What is the amendment?
The change would give the governor the capability to expand the number of restricted countries. After the amendment, lawmakers gave SB 17 approval with an 85-60 vote. Now, the legislation requires one more House vote before it can be sent to the Senate for potential approval.
What are Republicans saying?
The amendment was introduced by Republican State Rep. Nate Schatzline of Fort Worth, who says the aim is to make sure threats to national security and Texas could quickly be mitigated by the governor.
“Our governor can act swiftly rather than waiting a year for that to be added into the [director of national intelligence] designated country list,” Schatzline said.
What are Democrats saying?
Democrats immediately criticized the amendment, expressing concern it will “give the governor unfettered power to add whatever country he wants to in this bill,” according to state Rep. Gene Wu, the chair of the House Democratic Caucus.
“It’s kind of dangerous to say one person can decide whatever country he or she wants to add to this without oversight, without any controls– this is the definition of overreach,” Wu said.
Who would be banned from purchases?
The legislation bans land purchases based on an individual’s nation of residency instead of their country of origin. It’s a move meant to follow federal civil rights laws against discrimination. The bill restrictions would not apply to American citizens or lawful permanent residents.
The amendment also allows the Texas governor to include “transnational criminal organizations” among those banned from buying land or property in Texas. Schatzline specifically used Tren de Aragua as a potential group.
How are opponents responding?
Immigrant advocates also expressed concerns about Schatzline’s amendment, saying it opens the door to discrimination.
Eileen Huang with the Texas Multicultural Advocacy Coalition told ABC13 that this will likely “bring more Anti-Asian hate crime, and reinforce existing social biases, particularly against the Chinese community.”
She also expressed concerns it could hurt Texas’ economy.
Huang said the state has a “long history of pride” as a “business friendly-environment.” She worries that could change with SB17.
How are supporters responding?
Supporters of the amendment and the bill disagree. Political analyst Vlad Davidiuk, who worked with state Republicans, defended the legislation, saying there’s no evidence it will lead to discrimination. Rather, he argued it enhances security.
“We’ve certainly seen some members of the legislature make allegations. The bill is discriminatory and could lead to racial profiling and discrimination.. Again, we have not seen any evidence of that,” Davidiuk told ABC13. “Texas wants to ensure the security and sovereignty of Texas land to prevent ownership of Texas land by hostile foreign ownership, especially those who come from foreign countries that have hostile intent toward the United States.”
What are the next steps?
The bill is expected to undergo further amendments and is reportedly likely to see legal challenges from immigrant advocacy groups who contend it allows for unlawful discrimination based on the country an individual is from, if it becomes law.
The move comes as the U.S. federal government works to ban some Chinese companies from purchasing land near sensitive military sites fearing spying from Beijing and citing national security concerns, as Straight Arrow News previously reported.
If the legislation does pass, it would take effect on Sept. 1 and apply to real estate purchases after that date.
