After nearly six hours of impassioned debate, the Texas House of Representatives advanced a controversial bill Thursday evening aimed at curbing land purchases in the state by individuals and entities tied to countries the U.S. considers adversarial. Senate Bill 17 (SB 17), one of the most contentious proposals of the 2025 legislative session, passed with a vote of 85 to 60, clearing a significant hurdle on its path to becoming law.
The bill prohibits citizens of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea who live outside the United States from acquiring real estate in Texas. Lawmakers backing the measure argue it is a necessary step to protect state and national security interests. Opponents say it opens the door to discrimination and unintended harm to immigrants and legal residents.
"This bill is carefully crafted to ensure that the rights of Texans and lawful permanent residents of the United States are not infringed,” said Rep. Cole Hefner (R-Mt. Pleasant), who introduced the legislation on the House floor. He emphasized that SB 17 does not target people based on ethnicity or national origin but rather on continued affiliations with regimes deemed hostile to U.S. interests.
Still, Democratic lawmakers strongly challenged the bill, using procedural tactics and vocal opposition to attempt to slow or stop its progress. Rep. Gene Wu (D-Houston) called multiple points of order in protest and raised concerns about civil liberties and the bill’s sweeping implications.
Debate over the bill’s finer points led to the consideration of 15 amendments. Several, including some from Rep. Mitch Little (R-Lewisville), were adopted to clarify or tighten the bill’s scope. One of Little’s amendments required lawmakers to explicitly justify the inclusion of the four listed countries. Another amendment shortened the maximum length of land leases available to foreign individuals from those countries from 100 years to just one.
A more controversial amendment came from Rep. Matt Shaheen (R-Plano), adding a provision to limit the bill’s application only to individuals not lawfully present and residing in the U.S. While Hefner supported the amendment, it drew criticism from within his own party. Former Texas GOP chair Matt Rinaldi called the change a “huge loophole” on social media, warning it could undermine the bill’s intended effect.
Other adopted amendments expanded the bill’s reach and enforcement. Rep. Nate Schatzline (R-Fort Worth) successfully added a clause allowing the governor to add countries to the designated list at any time, a move Rep. Wu labeled “dangerous.” Rep. Brent Money (R-Greenville) added enforcement mechanisms that include both civil and criminal penalties for those violating the new restrictions.
The emotional weight of the bill was evident in floor speeches. Rep. Mihaela Plesa (D-Dallas) warned of “dangerous unintended consequences,” and Rep. Hubert Vo (D-Houston), who immigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam, cautioned that the legislation risked alienating law-abiding immigrants.
Still, not all immigrant lawmakers opposed the bill. Rep. Angie Chen Button (R-Garland), originally from Taiwan, spoke in its favor. “I’m an immigrant,” she said. “But America and Texas, this is my chosen land. So I do understand why it is so important we need to have national security and all those things to protect our freedom and democracy.”
As the debate closed, Hefner doubled down on his message. “This bill is not about immutable characteristics,” he said. “It’s about national security and making sure Texans are safe. This is the strongest bill in the country.”
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