July 24, 2024      4:59 PM

With an eye toward avoiding mistakes of last session, a special Texas House panel begins looking into foreign ownership of real property in Texas

Business groups and Asian American Republicans weigh in with concerns about discrimination and the state possibly creating additional burdens in legitimate financial transactions

The Texas House Select Committee on Securing Texas from Hostile Foreign Organizations on Wednesday held its first hearing, putting a priority of the state’s hard right flank front and center while broadening its scope from bumper sticker politics.

In March, GOP primary voters overwhelmingly passed a nonbinding resolution calling for a ban on the sale of foreign land to citizens, governments, and entities from China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia.

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan formed this select committee on the issue in May.

Chairman Cole Hefner stressed that policymakers need to take a dynamic view, looking at all forms of infrastructure and property including intellectual property. “We live in precarious times where foreign hostile governments and agents threaten us,” Hefner said. “But this is a nonpartisan issue.”

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