A select House committee tasked with studying a potential ban on Texas land ownership by hostile foreign entities faces criticism for failing to allow public testimony. The hearing, largely dominated by special interest groups and paid lobbyists, has sparked concerns about the inclusivity and transparency of the legislative process.
In response, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility issued a formal letter to State Rep. Cole Hefner (R-Mount Pleasant) who chairs the committee, expressing their concerns over the limited scope of testimonies heard during a recent hearing.
Last week, the committee convened to discuss the threats posed by hostile foreign organizations to Texas’s economy, security, and values. However, TFR highlighted that the hearing predominantly featured invited testimony from a select few, including paid lobbyists and organizations like the Texas Farm Bureau, leaving out the voices of ordinary Texas citizens.
Texas Scorecard reported last week that the Texas Farm Bureau opposed a ban on selling land to entities closely affiliated with the Communist Party of China.
“Texans for Fiscal Responsibility is deeply concerned by the lack of public testimony from ordinary citizens. We attended this hearing but were not allowed to voice the concerns of the hundreds of thousands of supporters of our organization,” wrote Andrew McVeigh, TFR’s president.
TFR underscored the potential risks of foreign entities, particularly those linked to oppressive regimes such as the Chinese Communist Party, owning or controlling Texas’s natural resources, land, housing, and other real property. The organization argues that such ownership fundamentally threatens the welfare of millions of Texas families and small business owners.
“Hostile foreign nationals and entities owning or controlling our natural resources, land, housing, and other real property, at its core, threatens the American dream for millions [of] Texas families and small business owners. Texas land and properties should be for Texans, not for actors on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party or other oppressive regimes,” wrote McVeigh.
In their letter, TFR called for additional hearings with public testimony.
“We urge you to hold additional hearings in which ordinary Texas citizens and taxpayers may publicly address the committee and voice their concerns, so that their concerns may be included in the policy discussion,” McVeigh emphasized.
Meanwhile, the House Committee on Agriculture and Livestock is set to hear testimony examining foreign ownership of farmland, timberland, pastureland, and agricultural processing facilities. That hearing is scheduled for August 13 and will only hear invited testimony.