A bill aimed at limiting foreign land ownership in Indiana passed through committee unanimously Monday afternoon.
Authored by Rep. Kendell Culp (R-Rensselaer) and co-authored by Reps. Mike Aylesworth (R-Hebron) , R-Chris Jeter (R-Fishers), and Cherrish Pryor (D-Indianapolis), HB 1183 states that beginning July 1, 2024, any real estate closing including agricultural land must include an affidavit affirming that the purchaser is not from an adversarial country as listed by the United States government, such as China, Russia or North Korea.
“Nationally, 40 million acres (about twice the area of South Carolina) of our 1.3 billion acres of farmland are owned by foreign countries,” Culp said. “Chinese interests, for example, they have 400,000 acres nationwide. But that number is growing at an alarming rate. Foreign ownership has grown by 2.2 million acres a year in the U.S. since 2015. Now in Indiana, 2.2 percent of Indiana's farmland is owned by a foreign entity owned or leased by a foreign entity.”
Many groups, including the Indiana Farm Bureau, Indiana Soybean Alliance, Indiana Corn Growers Association and the Attorney General’s office support the bill. The ACLU of Indiana, represented by Executive Director Chris Daley, said it does not support the bill over concerns of national origin discrimination.
“Citizens from all of these countries live lawfully in Indiana, they contribute to our economy and community well-being,” he said. “Yet if this bill becomes law, they will be unable to participate as owners in farming in our state. Whereas an individual from a foreign country who is not on this list and does not reside in Indiana can participate as an owner.”
Click here to read more indianapublicmedia.org
Photo Credit: gettyimages-dszc
Categories: Indiana, Crops, Corn, Government & Policy