The Kansas Land and Military Installation Protection Act is passed out of committee and heads to the House floor for consideration.
The law aims to restrict ‘countries of concern’ (China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela) from purchasing Kansas land within 150 miles of military sites.
Supporters argue that the law is a significant step in addressing concerns posed by antagonistic nations.
“It’s a major issue, our national security,” said Republican Representative Chris Croft. “We have adversaries out there. They are quite particular, and they intend to take us out. And they intend to achieve this by destroying our economy rather than just assaulting us military.
Opponents of the bill argue that while they understand the desire to defend the country, they feel that if it becomes law, it will have unexpected repercussions.
Rep. Rui Xu (D) of Westwood says his primary concern with the bill is what it will imply for recent immigrants who own or plan to launch small companies.
According to the measure, green card holders from countries of concern can own land and businesses within a 150-mile radius, but immigrants awaiting their green card cannot.
“In a rush to do something, I’m just concerned about unintended consequences,” he remarked. “Such as, in the bill there are exceptions for citizens and green card holders but there are a lot of immigrants here who don’t yet have a green card but are on a legal path to get so.”
Xu says he believes an update can be made to meet this problem.