** Last updated August 8th, 2023 **
Bills that have become law:
| State/Federal | Bill | Description | Status |
| Florida | SB 264 | Prohibits certain individuals from “countries of concern” from purchasing property in many locations in the state. Individuals purchasing many forms of property in Florida will now have to sign an affidavit claiming they are not “domiciled” in a “country of concern,” including Iran. | Signed into Law May 8, 2023. Took effect July 1, 2023. |
| Arkansas | SB 383 | Prohibits “foreign-party-controlled businesses from purchasing property in the state, including those owned by “A citizen or resident of a country subject to International Traffic in Arms Regulations.” At least eight countries are subject to these restrictions, including Iran. | Signed into Law April 11, 2023. |
| Tennessee | HB 0040 | Prohibitions are placed against any “citizen of a sanctioned foreign government,” except U.S. citizens and green card holders, from purchasing or otherwise acquiring real property in the state.
“Sanctioned foreign government” refers to a government that is identified by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s sanctions programs and country information list. |
Signed into Law May 11, 2023. Took effect July 1, 2023. |
| Louisiana | HB 537 | Prohibits the purchasing, leasing, and acquisition of immovable property by a foreign adversary or a person connected to a foreign adversary.
The law references a federal determination {15 CFR 7.4(a)} of who constitutes a “foreign adversary”, which includes China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela. Likewise, a “person connected with a foreign adversary” means the juridical person, as defined in Civil Code Article 24, in which the foreign adversary has the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of the juridical person whether through ownership of securities, by contract, or otherwise. |
Signed into law June 27th, 2023. Took effect August 1st, 2023.
Legislative session ended June 8th, 2023 |
Bills that have NOT become law:
| State/Federal | Bill | Description | Status |
| National Defense Authorization Act for FY24 | S. 2226, the “Rounds” Amendment #813 | The amendment will have narrow but decisively discriminatory impacts on visa holders from Iran, as well as Russia, China and North Korea. If the amendment is adopted and passed into law, the President would be required to bar the sale of large-scale agricultural property to nationals from these countries. These restrictions would take effect if the property in question is greater than 320 acres or valued in excess of $5,000,000. The provisions will go to conference, where the language will be adopted, edited or dropped from the defense authorization. | Passed the Senate |
| Texas | SB 147 | Prohibits the purchase of property by individuals who are citizens of designated countries, including Iran, China, North Korea or Russia, with exemptions for U.S. citizens and green card holders. Would encourage significant housing discrimination against individuals who are suspected of being a national from targeted countries. | Passed the Senate, referred to the House. Unlikely to pass in this legislative session. |
| Ohio | HB 212 | Prohibits foreign adversaries and certain businesses from owning real property in Ohio. Requires the reporting of formal affirmations that any individual or party is or is not subject to the restrictions applied to foreign adversaries.
“Foreign adversary” is defined through federal standard {15 CFR 7.4(a)} as well as countries subject to economic sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control in the Department of Treasury, which includes citizens of China, Iran, Cuba, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela. |
Introduced in House
Legislative Session ends December 31st, 2023 |
| Hawaii | HB 505 | Prohibits the “sale or transfer of real estate located in Hawaii to the Chinese Communist Party, members of the Chinese Communist Party,” or Hostile Foreign Influence, defined to include “any entity which has partial ownership held by a foreign government hostile to the United States, or which has board members or employees connected in any way to governments or organizations hostile to the United States.” | Introduced in House
Legislative Session ended May 4th, 2023 |
| Louisiana | SB91 | Prohibits foreign actors, tied with identified foreign adversaries, from owning, purchasing, leasing, possessing, exercising any control, or holding any interest in immovable property located within 50 miles of any federal or state military land, facilities, or weather stations, or any facility operated by the Civil Air Patrol. Allows an individual to rescind a contract if it is determined that a prohibited foreign actor is pursuing interest in immovable property.
“Foreign adversary” means any foreign government or foreign non13 government person determined by the United States secretary of commerce to 14 have engaged in a long-term pattern or serious instances of conduct 15 significantly adverse to the national security of the United States or security and 16 safety of United States persons as listed in 15 CFR §7.4 |
Introduced in Senate, bill vetoed by the Governor
Legislative session ended June 8th, 2023 |
| South Carolina | S 576 | Bars citizens of “foreign adversaries” determined by the Secretary of Commerce to have engaged in a long-term pattern of conduct detrimental to the United States from purchasing property. Exceptions are included for U.S. citizens and green card holders, and those purchasing less than five acres for residential purposes. | Passed the Senate, referred to the House
Legislative session ended May 11th, 2023 |
| Missouri | HB 903 | HB 903 as originally drafted would have explicitly included prohibitions on nationals of China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, or Venezuela from purchasing property in the state. The version passed by the Senate excluded these specific references but would still bar aliens from purchasing agricultural property. The Secretary of State of Missouri has decried this change and wants to restore explicit prohibitions targeting these countries before it becomes law. The Senate and House are in conference on the bill before it heads to the governor. | Passed the House and Senate
Legislative session ended May 30th, 2023 |
| Kansas | SB 283 | Would prohibit the purchase of parcels of land greater than 10 acres by a “Person owned by, controlled by or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of a foreign adversary.” This includes “any person, wherever located, who is a citizen or resident of a nation-state controlled by a foreign adversary, unless such person is a dual
citizen of the United States and a foreign adversary.” Foreign adversaries are defined to include six different nations, including Iran. |
Introduced in State Senate
Legislative Session ended April 28th, 2023 |
| Federal/Congress | S.168 | Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security Act of 2023 (PASS Act) – would ban citizens of “prohibited countries,” including China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea, from purchasing land for agriculture in the United States. The bill has nine cosponsors including one Democrat. | Introduced in U.S. Senate |
| Federal/Congress | S.1136 | Not One More Inch or Acre Act – directs the President to take such actions as may be necessary to prohibit the purchase of public or private real estate located in the United States by citizens and entities of the People’s Republic of China, and for other purposes. The bill has one cosponsor. | Introduced in U.S. Senate |
*This tracker does not encompass every single bill in every state aimed at imposing restrictions on foreign nationals buying property, only those that appear most relevant to citizens of so-called foreign adversaries.*
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