AUSTIN, Texas — A controversial Texas Senate bill is changing its proposed policy after State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst said she listened to concerns surrounding the original legislation.
Kolkhorst filed Senate Bill 147 in November. It would ban migrants who are citizens of North Korea, Iran, Russia, China and governments of those countries from buying property in Texas.
The changes made by Kolkhorst would ensure the property prohibitions in the bill applied only to foreign governments, not individuals seeking to buy homes. It now also specifies that those who are already U.S citizens or have dual-citizenship are exempt from this bill.
In the bill's original form, it included a ban on buying homes and did not clearly state who was protected if they came from the listed countries.
According to Kolkhorst, the piece of legislation "addresses a national security issue and will preserve our cherished private property rights and constitutional freedoms."
The state senator said the bill was inspired by the concerns she heard from Texans within her Senate district. Kolkhorst said those concerns surround the "growing ownership of Texas land by certain adversarial foreign entities, such as the 130,000 acres near Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio that was recently purchased by a former officer of the Chinese army."
"We're not playing checkers here," Kolkhorst said in the Senate Chamber on Thursday. "We're playing chess. And it's super important."
The bill quickly gained support among Republicans, including Gov. Greg Abbott, who tweeted that he would sign the legislation into law.
Some lawmakers that oppose SB 147 have called the bill "racist" and "discriminatory." In January, State Sen. Gene Wu, standing alongside other lawmakers, held a press conference at the Texas Capitol to denounce Kolkhorst's efforts.
"Just as I have told my own community, told the Asian community, we need to be supportive of other groups … because, one day, they will come after you," Wu said at the time. "And here we are."
That same day, State Rep. Salman Bhojani said he was concerned the bill in question was "contrary to the principles that America was built upon."
"Our job as legislators here is to fight for the fight of every single Texan," Bhojani said in January. "Texans who are born here and Texans who are born in another country."
This bill comes after Abbott signed the Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act in 2021, which prohibits Texas governments and businesses from entering contracts relating to critical infrastructure with foreign-owned companies. Those countries include China, Iran, North Korea and Russia.
Wu voted for the 2021 measure but said SB 147 goes too far.
On Thursday, before the Committee on State Affairs, Kolkhorst said she "rejects any notion that SB 147 is a racist bill."
"I come before you as a liberty-lover and someone that wants to protect our food security, our mineral security, and the future of our great state." Kolkhorst testified.
The committee also listened as more than 100 people who testified both for and against SB 147. Each person was given two minutes to speak.
When time ran up for a resident from Flower Mound, he asked why "foreign people only get two minutes," calling it unfair. He asked to continue, and the request was granted by the committee.
"I urge you, as esteemed senators, to uphold the core American values," the witness said. "Vote no to SB 147 to restore hope and confidence in the Asian community."
After several hours of testimony, the Committee of State Affairs left the bill "pending," meaning they will vote on whether to send SB 147 to the full Senate for a vote at a later date.