Chinese ownership of Alabama land, resources banned in proposed legislation

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – A bill making its way through the Alabama Legislature would prevent Chinese ownership of property in the state, marking the latest development in the strained relationship between the United States and China, the world’s two largest economies.

State Rep. Scott Stadthagen, R-Hartselle, the majority leader of the Alabama House, filed HB 379, called the “Alabama Property Protection Act.”

“I don’t believe we should allow buyers from Communist China to purchase Alabama land and resources to use for their purposes,” Stadthagen said. “Our agricultural and manufacturing resources are critical to the success of our state and our nation. We are also home to multiple military installations and soon be home to Space Command. This bill ensures that those facilities, those resources and those installations will not be neighbors with the [Chinese Communist Party].”

The bill would prohibit non-resident citizens of China, the Chinese government, or Chinese entities from buying property in Alabama. It’s similar to the “Not One More Inch or Acre” legislation that has been introduced by U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Alabama, and U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas.

“Senator Britt is tackling this issue on the federal level, but we need an Alabama solution as well,” Stadthagen explained. “That is what this legislation does. It allows us to protect property within the boundaries of our state.”

[Coming up on WSFA 12 News Monday evening, a Chinese doctor who has been living and working in Montgomery for a decade speaks out about his fears surrounding the bill.]

The National Association of Realtors recently released a report showing that Chinese buyers purchased $6.1 billion worth of American real estate in the time period from April 2021 and March 2022.

“This is an issue we need to address now. There is no reason to wait until we have a major problem before us to address it,” Stadthagen stated. “This is something that Alabamians want and something our state needs. I believe this bill will have strong bipartisan support.”

The legislation will be heard before a House committee before consideration by the entire body.

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