Dr. Terry Johnson, State Senator, 14th District — Sponsor Testimony, Senate Bill 226 (November 19th, 2024)

Summary

Sponsor testimony by State Senator Dr. Terry Johnson on Senate Bill 226, given to the Ohio House Economic and Workforce Development Committee on November 19th, 2024. Johnson says the part of the budget amendment that is now law prohibits foreign adversaries of the United States from purchasing farmland in Ohio, and that the bill expands the prohibitions to land near a military installation or critical infrastructure. The testimony says the bill also expands prohibited parties to include businesses headquartered in and citizens of those countries. It says the reporting process moves from the Secretary of State to county auditors, who must require an affirmation from both buyer and seller, with suspected violations referred to the county sheriff.

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 Dr. Terry Johnson
 State Senator
 14th District




                         Sponsor Testimony
                           Senate Bill 226
      Ohio House Economic and Workforce Development Committee
                        November 19th, 2024

Chair Lorenz, Vice Chair Santucci, Ranking Member Upchurch, and
members of the House Economic and Workforce Development Committee:
Thank you for the opportunity to provide sponsor testimony on Senate Bill
226.

This legislation is based on an amendment to the operating budget that I
crafted which was passed by the legislature, but partially vetoed by the
governor. The part of the amendment that is now law prohibits foreign
adversaries of the United States from purchasing farmland in Ohio.
However, the vetoed portion would have included land within 25 miles of a
military installation as part of the land purchasing prohibition.

This updated language, which is virtually identical to an upcoming version
of House Bill 212, expands prohibitions on land purchasing to include land
within 25 miles of a military installation or critical infrastructure; that is,
electric substations, water treatment facilities, natural gas pipelines, dams,
telecommunications or broadband infrastructure, railroads, and more.

Furthermore, since we know that adversaries of the United States will take
advantage of every loophole to undermine our nation’s interests, this bill
also expands prohibited parties to include not just foreign adversaries and
their governments, but also businesses headquartered in and citizens of
those countries.

Under current law, as passed in last year’s operating budget, the Secretary
of State is required to report potential violations of land purchasing
restrictions to the Ohio Attorney General. This bill modifies that provision
by moving the reporting process to county auditors, who have authority
over the conveyance of property. County auditors must require an
affirmation from both the potential buyer and seller of land whether they
are subject to the land purchasing restrictions laid out in this section. If the
auditor suspects that either the buyer or seller of land is restricted from
owning that land, he or she must refer the case to the county sheriff for
investigation. The sheriff, upon finding that a violation has occurred, must
refer the violation to the county prosecutor for legal action.

I introduced this bill because I strongly believe that Ohio’s land should not
be for sale to those who seek to destroy the American way of life. The
People’s Republic of China – Communist China – has not hidden the fact
that their goal is not just to outcompete and outperform the United States;
it is to eventually rule the world.

As of last summer, Chinese firms and investors owned 380,000 acres of
land in the United States, and they will not stop there. Fufeng USA, a
Chinese manufacturer, recently attempted to purchase land and build a
facility 20 minutes from Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota.
When the Grand Forks City Council cancelled the project – due to security
concerns – Fufeng turned its attention to Ohio, where as of last year, they
were seeking land for development.

This cannot be allowed to continue. Should enemies of our country be
permitted to purchase land next to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, for
example? Our land is currently up for grabs by those who want to cause us
harm, endangering our national secrets. China is the most clear and present
danger at this moment in time, but this legislation would protect against
these threats from any adversarial nation (Iran, North Korea, Russia, and
so on) along with terrorist groups, cartels, and more.

Thank you again for your time and attention. I will be happy to answer any
questions you may have.


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