{"id":384,"date":"2026-06-10T15:07:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T15:07:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northcarolinamovingjournal.com\/?p=384"},"modified":"2026-06-10T15:07:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T15:07:01","slug":"nc-lawmakers-advance-foreign-land-ownership-ban-despite-concerns-about-scope-funding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northcarolinamovingjournal.com\/?p=384","title":{"rendered":"NC lawmakers advance foreign land ownership ban despite concerns about scope, funding"},"content":{"rendered":"
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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.<\/p>\n

Read more Republicans in Congress clear final hurdle for $70B boost in immigration enforcement<\/a><\/p>\n

Senate Bill 394 would block companies in China, Iran, Russia, North Korea and other countries deemed by the federal government to be \u201cadversarial\u201d from purchasing, acquiring, leasing, or holding any interest in agricultural land and property within a 50-mile radius of a military installation.<\/p>\n

Senator Bob Brinson (R-Craven) said is an effort to protect North Carolina\u2019s military bases while acknowledging that food is a national security issue.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my understanding that he reversed course on that, actually just a couple of weeks ago,\u201d said von Haefen.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

She told committee members the proposed 50-mile radius prohibiting foreign ownership would essentially cover the distance between Fayetteville and Raleigh, creating a \u201cmassive hurdle\u201d for business development in the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn many other states where these bills have passed, including Florida, Indiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Ohio, and Georgia, they have a 10-mile radius,\u201d said von Haefen. She said a 25-mile radius would be more reasonable.<\/p>\n

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Von Haefen also wanted to remove a provision to ban foreign companies from leasing land.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t need to be blocking leasing,\u201d von Haefen said. \u201cI think that the point of the bill is to block ownership, and that would also allow more development in North Carolina.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s military more reaction time if facing a foreign threat. A commercial drone can cover five miles in just over three minutes, Brinson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLocal and state law enforcement do not have detection systems around military bases, although I\u2019d love to change that in subsequent sessions,\u201d Brinson told the committee. \u201cAs such, military bases require [a buffer] to protect themselves from base intrusions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bill Toole, a senior deputy with the North Carolina Secretary of State\u2019s office, said his agency has no problem with the intent of the bill, but does need more resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need IT support, we need servers, and manpower necessary to meet that mission as you give it to us,\u201d said Toole. \u201cRight now, we can\u2019t answer all the phone calls we\u2019ve got.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bill\u2019s sponsor was unmoved.<\/p>\n

Brinson said it took him just three minutes searching the USDA\u2019s 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\u2019s WH Group, which owns Smithfield Foods.<\/p>\n

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NC lawmakers revamp bills to bar \u2018adversarial\u2019 nations from farmland<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n