Image Credit: TN General Assembly
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
A bill that requires that 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 in the House State and Local Government Committee on Wednesday.
In a 20 to 3 vote, almost entirely along party lines, House Bill 0219 (HB0219) sponsored by Representative Jay Reedy (R-Erin-District 74) was referred to the Government Operations Committee.
The proposed legislation requires that in addition to filing a report of a purchase with the United States Department of Agriculture, under the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978, that “foreign persons” purchasing land in the state must also file with the Tennessee Commissioner of Agriculture within 90 days of acquisition or transfer.
In his explanation of the bill, Reedy read from the latest United States Department of Agriculture document which stated that foreign individuals and entities reported holding an interest in nearly 45 million acres of United States agricultural land as of December 31st, 2023.
“All we’re just saying is that if you have to report with the federal government, we’d like to know about you in the state of Tennessee,” said Reedy.
The bill has been scheduled to be heard in the House Government Operations Committee on Monday, March 17th, 2025.
Contact information for members of the committee can be found below.
Rep.justin.lafferty@capitol.tn.gov, rep.jay.reedy@capitol.tn.gov, rep.karen.camper@capitol.tn.gov, rep.john.ray.clemmons@capitol.tn.gov, rep.john.crawford@capitol.tn.gov, rep.jeremy.faison@capitol.tn.gov, rep.monty.fritts@capitol.tn.gov, rep.ronnie.glynn@capitol.tn.gov, rep.william.lamberth@capitol.tn.gov, rep.aron.maberry@capitol.tn.gov, rep.pat.marsh@capitol.tn.gov, rep.sam.mckenzie@capitol.tn.gov, rep.antonio.parkinson@capitol.tn.gov, rep.michele.reneau@capitol.tn.gov, rep.paul.sherrell@capitol.tn.gov, rep.joe.towns@capitol.tn.gov
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
