Austin, TX
Houston lawmaker speaks out against Texas bill that would restrict foreign land ownership | Houston Public Media
AP Photo/Eric Gay
A Houston legislator and civil rights advocates voiced opposition this week to a proposed Texas law that would ban some people from designated foreign countries — such as China and Russia — from owning land in the state.
House Bill 17, authored by Republican state Rep. Cole Hefner of northeast Texas, also would apply to some people from Iran and North Korea as well as any other country designated by the Texas governor. Companies headquartered in the aforementioned countries, and governmental entities of those nations, also would not be allowed to purchase or acquire property in Texas under the proposed law.
State Rep. Gene Wu, a Houston Democrat, joined the nonprofit Asian Texans for Justice in speaking out against the bill during a Wednesday news conference at the Texas Capitol in Austin. Wu called the proposed legislation a slippery slope.
“What my big concern is, my real concern, is not just the ownership of land, but this is the very first step that we take on our march back to Japanese internment,” said Wu, referring to the United States government’s detainment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
HB 17 has yet to be voted out of the Texas House Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans’ Affairs. If it is, it would need to be passed by the full House and the Texas Senate and then signed by Gov. Greg Abbott before becoming a state law.
The Texas attorney general would be charged with enforcing the proposed law, which would be a state jail felony punishable by a fine of $250,000 or 50% of the market value of the property associated with the violation.
As written, the law would not apply to U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, citizens of foreign countries who are not domiciled in one of the designated countries or companies or entities owned or controlled by one or more of those people.
Some of the 200-plus Texas residents who spoke about the bill during a Wednesday committee hearing at the Capitol said they supported the proposed law. And some of those supporters said they do not think it goes far enough to protect the state from being influenced or harmed by interests from China, Iran, North Korea or Russia.
“Texas is not for sale to foreign entities,” said Claire Lingenfelser of Waller, which is northwest of Houston.
Added Christine Kalmbach, who identified herself as a realtor from Houston: “The bill must prohibit both citizens of hostile nations from buying real property and not just those domiciled in hostile nations, as this can be easily manipulated.”
A majority of the speakers during Wednesday’s hearing, many of whom are from the Houston area, said they oppose the proposed legislation, with some calling it racist and discriminatory.
Wu echoed that sentiment, saying HB 17 would mark a return to exclusionary laws from the past.
“They were passed for the same reasons, they use the same rhetoric, the same arguments, and they are doing it to basically the same groups of people,” Wu said. “And this is why I’m afraid. We have done this before.”
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas’ highway system dropped two spots since 2025, and now ranks at No. 27 in the country for its cost-effectiveness and overall conditions, according to the Reason Foundation’s 2026 Highway Report.
The report assessed pavement conditions, fatalities, deficient bridges, infrastructure costs and congestion levels across the United States. Texas earned the following rankings:
- 33rd in urban interstate pavement conditions
- 21st in rural interstate pavement conditions
- 39th in urban arterial pavement conditions
- 12th in rural arterial pavement conditions
- 3rd in structurally deficient bridges
- 26th in urban fatality rate
- 42nd in rural fatality rate
- 41st in traffic congestion
“More than 42,000 of the nation’s 618,923 highway bridges, nearly 7%, are still structurally deficient. Arizona, Nevada, and Texas reported the lowest percentages of deficient bridges,” the report said.
The full report can be found online.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Small hail peppered the Austin area as strong thunderstorms moved through Saturday.
A few of the storms dropped rain and up to pea-sized hail in San Marcos, Dripping Springs and the Austin metro area.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Williamson County around 8:15 p.m., and then canceled shortly after. However, it was enough for the Two Step Inn music festival in Georgetown to cancel shows for the rest of the evening. Event organizers say the festival will run as planned Sunday.
KXAN’s First Warning Weather team is monitoring the storms. We will update this post as the evening continues.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Society Sons of the American Revolution unveiled a new monument at the Texas State Cemetery on Saturday, dedicated to Texas Revolutionary War soldiers.
“We must educate every generation about why it is that America grew from a tenuous 13 colonies into the most powerful country in the history of the world,” said Governor Abbott. “This monument here is an enduring testament to the heroes who fought for the freedom that is unique to America.”
The monument was dedicated to 69 soldiers who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Texas, according to a press release.
Among those that were honored, Abbott recognized:
- José Santiago Seguín, grandfather of Texas Revolutionary hero Juan Seguín.
- Peter Sides, who fought in the 2nd Battalion of the North Carolina Regiment of the Colonial Army, and was later killed in the 1813 Battle of Medina, fighting for Mexican independence against Spain.
- Antonio Gil Y’Barbo, the founder of Nacogdoches.
- William Sparks, who fought as a mounted rifleman in the American Revolution and later settled in Texas. He had two sons and two grandsons who fought in the Texas Revolution.
“This year marks the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, which not only gave freedom to the British colonies of North America, but inspired movements for freedom and liberty all over the world,” said TSSAR President Mel Oller. “Texans played a role in the war too, and it’s important to recognize them, and the sacrifices they made for our freedom.”
At the monument unveiling, Abbott was also inducted into the Sons of the American Revolution and received its Silver Good Citizenship Medal.
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