Quarterly Update Looks at Bills and Laws From Both the National and Statewide Levels

New York, NY — Committee of 100, a nonprofit membership organization of prominent Chinese Americans, today released updated data on its alien land laws research project, a project started in 2021 to help identify and monitor legislation at both the state and national level which would restrict property ownership by foreign governments, businesses, and people.

The data shows that there is a continuing effort by state governments and Congress to limit the ability of such entities to own property in the U.S.

As of March 4:

• 28 states are currently considering 82 bills that would restrict property ownership in some way;
• U.S. Congress is currently considering 1 bill;
• 22 states have passed 38 bills that restrict entities from some country(ies) of some form of property ownership, 17 of which passed into law in 2024. 

Since 2021:

• 42 states have introduced 323 bills restricting property ownership by foreign entities; 
• U.S. Congress has introduced 38 such bills;
• Of the 361 bills (states and U.S. congress combined) that have been introduced since 2021, 236 (65%) include provisions that prohibit Chinese citizens from owning some form of property, 18 of which explicitly and singly target China and Chinese citizens from owning some form of property;
• Of the 38 bills that have been passed into law, 1 bill, Florida’s SB 264 enacted in 2023, includes provisions that single out Chinese citizens and prohibits non-permanent residents from owning any form of property in the state.

Committee of 100 believes that passage of bills prohibiting property ownership by citizens of foreign countries legitimizes harmful and xenophobic claims about immigrants that exacerbate anti-Asian violence that has negatively affected U.S. citizens and non-citizens alike. This legislation also disproportionately affects a wide range of people of color living in the United States. 

Interactive Map

Committee of 100’s interactive mapping tool illustrates legislative activity by state governments and Congress pertaining to restriction of property ownership by foreign citizens, businesses, and governments, especially those related to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Clicking a state (or “US,” which refers to federal legislation considered by the U.S. Congress) provides a detailed summary of all legislation currently being considered or passed into law, as well as any state-constitutional provisions related to foreign property ownership. Failed bills are included in the statistics described (among bills that have been introduced), but are not included in the mapping tool. Link to the free mapping tool is here.

Alien Land Laws Webinar: March 4 at 4:00pm ET

Committee of 100 and APA Justic are hosting the second installment of the alien land law discussion series on March 4, Fair Housing Rights & Alien Land Laws: Challenges and Advocacy for the Asian American Community. Alien Land Laws—once used to bar Asian Americans from owning property—are making a dangerous comeback. These discriminatory policies, along with other unfair housing practices, continue to fuel wealth disparities and economic barriers for the Asian American and other minority communities. 

Join Hope Atuel, Executive Director, Asian Real Estate Association of America [panelist]; Scott Chang, Senior Counsel, The National Fair Housing Alliance [panelist]; John Trasvina, Former HUD Assistant Secretary, Fair Housing & Equal Opportunity (Obama Administration) [moderator]; Cindy Tsai, Interim President and General Counsel, Committee of 100 [opening remarks] and Dr. Jeremy Wu, Founder and Co-Organizer, APA Justice [closing remarks] for this discussion. Advanced RSVP required. RSVP here.

About Committee of 100

Committee of 100 is a nonprofit U.S. leadership organization of prominent Chinese Americans in business, government, academia, healthcare, and the arts focused on public policy engagement, civic engagement, philanthropy, and arts & culture. For over 35 years, Committee of 100 has served as a preeminent organization committed to the dual missions of promoting the full participation of Chinese Americans in all aspects of American life and constructive relations between the United States and Greater China. Visit https://www.committee100.org.

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