NC Senate Committee Reviews Revised Bill Restricting Foreign Land Purchases
Republicans unveil compromise bill targeting countries on federal arms regulation list, reducing buffer zone from 75 to 50 miles around bases like Fort Bragg.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA — North Carolina Republicans introduced a revised version of legislation Tuesday that would prohibit “adversarial” foreign nations from purchasing agricultural land within 50 miles of military installations across the state.
House Bill 133, titled the “NC Farmland and Military Protection Act,” was presented to the Senate Judiciary Committee with significant changes from last year’s version. The updated bill would ban countries listed on the International Traffic and Arms Regulations from buying farmland near military bases.
“I think it’s valuable to tie it to something we don’t have to keep updating. The federal government actually updates that,” Sen. Bob Brinson (R-Craven) told the committee.
Adversarial Nations List
The legislation targets countries designated as adversarial by federal regulations, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela, according to Brinson. This approach eliminates the need for lawmakers to manually update the list of restricted nations.
Military installations covered under the bill include Fort Bragg, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, and National Guard facilities throughout North Carolina.
Changes From Previous Version
The current bill represents a compromise between competing proposals from 2025. Last year’s House version established a 75-mile radius around military bases, while Senate Bill 394, the “Protect Foreign Ownership of NC Land” act, proposed a 25-mile buffer zone.
Lawmakers settled on a 50-mile radius and expanded protections to include National Guard facilities, Brinson said. The 2025 House version passed unanimously but failed to advance in the Senate.
Brinson indicated he worked with colleagues to address previous concerns that prevented the legislation from moving forward last year.
Democratic Opposition Emerges
Senate Democrats voiced concerns about the bill’s scope during Tuesday’s committee hearing. Sen. Lisa Grafstein (D-Wake) noted that portions of her southern Wake County district fall within the 50-mile Fort Bragg restriction zone.
The legislation comes amid ongoing national discussions about foreign land ownership and national security concerns, particularly regarding agricultural properties near sensitive military installations.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has not yet scheduled a vote on the revised legislation. If approved, the bill would need to pass both chambers of the General Assembly before reaching Governor Josh Stein’s desk.
