Bill Requiring Foreign Purchases Of Tennessee Land Be Reported To State Passes On House Floor

Image: Rep. Jay Reedy presents HB0219 on the TN House floor. Image Credit: Adelia Kirchner / The Tennessee Conservative

The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –

On Thursday morning, a bill requiring foreign purchases of Tennessee land be reported to the Commissioner of Agriculture, with failure to report resulting in a civil penalty of up to 25% of the property’s value, passed on the House floor with a 91-5 vote.

Rep. Jay Reedy (R-Erin-District 74) introduced House Bill 219 (HB0219) as amended, which requires foreign persons, businesses, and governments, to report agriculture land investments to the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the Agriculture Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978. 

There was no further discussion on the House floor before members voted on the legislation.

House Republicans Alexander, Atchley, Barrett, Baum, Boyd, Bricken, Bulso, Burkhart, Butler, Capley, Carringer, Cepicky, Cochran, Crawford, Darby, Davis, Doggett, Eldridge, Faison, Farmer, Fritts, Gant, Garrett, Gillespie, Grills, Hale, Haston, Hawk, Helton-Haynes, Hicks G, Hicks T, Hill, Howell, Hulsey, Hurt, Jones R, Keisling, Kumar, Lafferty, Lamberth, Leatherwood, Littleton, Lynn, Maberry, Marsh, Martin B, Martin G, McCalmon, Moody, Moon, Powers, Raper, Reedy, Reeves, Reneau, Rudd, Rudder, Russell, Scarbrough, Sherrell, Slater, Sparks, Stevens, Stinnett, Terry, Todd, Travis, Vaughan, Vital, Warner, White, Williams, Wright, Zachary, and Speaker Sexton all voted in favor of HB0219.

So did House Democrats Chism, Clemmons, Freeman, = Glynn, Hakeem, Hardaway, Harris, Hemmer, Love, McKenzie, Miller, Mitchell, Parkinson, Pearson, Shaw, and Towns.

Voting no were Democrat Representatives Brooks, Johnson, Jones J, Powell, and Salinas.

The corresponding Senate Bill 519 (SB0519), sponsored by Sen. Kerry Roberts (R- Springfield-District 23), has made it through the committee process and will soon go to the Senate floor for a vote.

About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee. Adelia is The Tennessee Conservative’s on-site reporter for the Tennessee General Assembly. You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.