Illinois GOP Rep Miller to introduce companion bill protecting farmland from China purchase

Illinois GOP Rep. Mary Miller said Thursday that she will introduce a companion bill to Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley's legislation protecting U.S. farmland from being purchased by China.

Hawley reintroduced "Protecting Our Farms and Homes from China Act" last week, and Miller told Fox News that her companion bill will be introduced in the House with a dozen Republican co-sponsors.

"Prized American land is not for sale to our enemies," Miller told the news outlet.

"The Chinese Communist Party is the greatest threat to our national security, and their aggressive push to buy up our farmland and homes is a direct attack on our sovereignty. It’s long past time we take back control and put America’s food supply and communities back in American hands — where they belong," she also said.

Chinese entities currently own about 265,000 acres of U.S. agricultural land, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"For far too long, foreign adversaries have taken advantage of our farmland. While USDA doesn’t currently have the authority to prevent the purchase of farmland by foreign nationals, we are actively working to improve the accuracy of foreign-owned farmland reporting so that the public, Congress, and state governments have the relevant data needed to make informed policy decisions," a USDA spokesperson told Fox News.

The House and Senate bills would each ban Chinese corporations and individuals affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party from acquiring or leasing any agricultural land in the U.S. The legislation prohibits them from purchasing U.S. residential real estate for two years, with an option for the president to extend the ban every two years. Property already held by those entities will be required to divest within a year of the bill being enacted.

The bill also nullifies any non-compete agreements that involve foreign agricultural employers and establishes compliance offices within the Departments of Agriculture and Commerce to oversee enforcement.

The legislation includes civil fines of $100 per acre per day for illegal agricultural holdings, and $1,000 per day for residential real estate violations, and criminal penalties include up to five years in prison. Land that is acquired in violation of the law would be subject to forfeiture and sold at public auction.

"China’s ownership of U.S. farmland poses a direct threat to American interests," Hawley said. "We should never let our nation’s greatest adversary have access to our vital resources, including our housing supply. That’s why I’m reintroducing legislation to protect American assets from the CCP once and for all."