ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill Tuesday that limits the ability of some Chinese nationals to buy land in the state.
The bill, SB420, mirrors legislation already signed into law in many other states. It prohibits Chinese “agents” from purchasing agricultural land or commercial land near military installations in Georgia.
Democratic members of the state Legislature have slammed SB420 as discriminatory, but at a bill signing ceremony in the southern city of Valdosta, the Republican governor touted it as a national security measure.
“We cannot allow foreign adversaries to take control of something as important to our survival as our food supply,” Kemp said.
Critics said this and similar measures reflected xenophobia and would harm immigrant communities.
“By signing this bill, Governor Kemp is shirking his responsibility to protect the equality, civil rights, and constitutional due process rights of all Georgians and instead scapegoating anti-Asian and anti-immigrant They are engaged in fear-mongering,” said Co. Cynthia Choi. Founder of Stop AAPI Hate, a nonprofit organization that fights discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
This law requires personnel from China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, or Russia who are not U.S. citizens or legal residents to travel within 10 miles of Georgia agricultural land or military installations, unless they have made at least an expenditure. It is prohibited to own commercial land. I lived in Georgia for 10 months the previous year.
Although the measure also targets other countries, much of the discussion among lawmakers on Capitol Hill about the measure focused on China.
To become an agent, a person must act on behalf of the state. The ban also applies to businesses in these countries, but not to residential real estate.
Other critics warned that the bill could face legal hurdles.
“Over time, we will see that this bill preempts federal law and violates people’s constitutional protections,” said Tong Huang of the Atlanta chapter of Asian Americans Advancing Justice.
States including Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and Arkansas passed similar bans last year, and Democrats support such measures as they voice concerns about China’s ownership of U.S. farmland.
The law gained attention after what authorities believed to be Chinese reconnaissance balloons flew over the United States and Chinese-linked entities purchased land near military bases in North Dakota and Texas.
Kemp also signed several other bills Tuesday. Among them: prohibiting the sale of CBD and other consumable hemp products to anyone under the age of 21, and requiring product manufacturers to measure and list the amount of THC and other compounds in their products. It also includes things. THC is the psychoactive compound found in marijuana.
The second measure would increase penalties for those who manufacture or sell drugs laced with fentanyl, which can lead to death. Under SB465, they would face a felony charge of aggravated manslaughter.
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is often added to other drugs and is the leading cause of overdose deaths in the United States.
Georgia’s bill is named after Austin Walters, who died in 2021 after taking a pill laced with fentanyl.
“Austin’s law will help us fight the criminals who traffic these deadly substances and save Georgians’ lives,” Georgia Lt. Gov. Bert Jones said in a statement after signing the bill.
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