Bills aimed at foreign adversaries take center stage in Texas House committee

AUSTIN, Texas (KTRK) -- A state house committee is hearing testimony on Wednesday on a host of bills that focus on foreign adversaries and limiting or stopping their influence in Texas.

The Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety, and Veterans' Affairs listened to hours of testimony on bills that would prevent foreign lobbyists, foreign investment, and the foreign purchase of genomic information if those foreigners are from nations the federal government views as adversarial.

The hearing room in Austin was beyond capacity and there were those both for and against all of the measures.

"George Washington, in his farewell address to our young country, stated against the insidious wiles of foreign influence, the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake," Matthew DeMay, who testified in favor of the legislation, said. "History and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of a Republican government."

Some expressed concern these bills are a slippery slope.

"Even though I have nothing to do with the Chinese government or the Communist Party or anything like that, I will be, just because I am not for those bills, they can accuse me and say I'm for the Chinese government," Xi Yang Qing said. "So they can investigate me or whatever. But I am saying those bills will be presenting such danger. It's unnecessary."

Among the many bills related to foreign adversaries discussed among House lawmakers is HB17, which would prevent future land purchases by any person or company affiliated with a country identified by the United States Director of National Intelligence as one that poses a risk to the national security of the United States in each of the three most recent Annual Threat Assessments of the U.S. Intelligence Community.

"This legislation is absolutely in the vein of state security and also national security," Republican strategist Jessica Colon told ABC13. "Twenty-two other states have passed legislation similar to this."

Similar legislation has already passed the Texas Senate. And proponents insist it is vital for security. Selling land to hostile nations ultimately hurts Texas and the rest of the country.

Opponents, including those at weekend protests held in Austin, Dallas, and here in Houston, say it's discrimination.

"It just makes us look ridiculous in the nation's eyes, and we can be better as Texas," Democratic strategist Odus Evbagharu said. "And we shouldn't be passing unconstitutional laws that do that."

According to the US Department of Agriculture, Texas has the largest amount of foreign-owned agricultural land at more than 5.6 million acres, which was published at the end of 2023.

Locally, Liberty and Matagorda counties have the largest foreign-owned acreage at more than 45,000 acres apiece. The largest foreign landowner is Canada.

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