MADISON, WI… Senator André Jacque (New Franken) today called for the State Legislature to quickly pass bi-partisan legislation he has authored and introduced with Rep. William Penterman (Hustisford) to prohibit foreign adversaries from owning land in Wisconsin.
The legislation, Senate Bill 7/Assembly Bill 30, was heard in the Assembly Committee on Agriculture last week and received a hearing in the Senate Agriculture and Revenue Committee earlier this year. Both hearings included expert testimony spotlighting the national security threat posed by having state land owned by foreign nationals whose governments are hostile to American interests. SB7/AB30 only targets those countries identified under federal law as actively undermining the security and sovereignty of the United States, including China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and Cuba.
Over the past decade, foreign ownership of U.S. farmland has nearly doubled, with Chinese agricultural land ownership alone increasing roughly 2,700% from 2010 to 2021. In response, a growing number of states have moved to ban foreign adversaries such as the Communist Party of China (CCP) from acquiring land in their state. One such example, Virginia, passed bipartisan legislation in 2023 through a Republican controlled General Assembly and a Democrat controlled Senate, banning land purchases by foreign adversaries. SB7/AB 30 is modeled after that legislation.
“The economic and national security threat of foreign adversaries owning and controlling Wisconsin lands and supply chains is not hypothetical, but one that is real, urgent and must be dealt with now,” said Jacque.
“This is not about closing our state to international investment,” said Jacque. “It is about drawing a necessary line to protect Wisconsin’s critical resources, including our farmland, our food systems, and our communities, from regimes that have repeatedly demonstrated hostile intent.”
The threat of hostile governments owning foreign land in Wisconsin is not merely an economic threat. One such example from this past June involved multiple Chinese nationals smuggling in a “potential agroterrorism weapon” into the country which could have had a devastating public safety and agricultural effect. There are also fears that land purchased near military bases can be used for espionage with drones and other technology, and that American intellectual property is at risk to theft. In the event of a foreign conflict, Wisconsin could be even more vulnerable if this legislation is not enacted.
“Legislative efforts to fight against the influence of hostile foreign actors are critical, and it is essential that they include a ban on foreign adversaries holding Wisconsin land,” said Jacque.
SB7/AB30 has the support of leading agricultural groups in the state such as the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation and the Dairy Business Association. Both bills are awaiting votes in their respective committees.
Senator André Jacque represents Northeast Wisconsin’s First Senate District, consisting of Door, Kewaunee and Calumet Counties and portions of Brown, Calumet, Manitowoc, and Outagamie counties.
