AUSTIN, Texas – More than 100 people, the vast majority Asian American Texans, decried a bill designed to ban Chinese citizens from owning property in the state.
Dozens panned Senate Bill 147 as discriminatory and unconstitutional, while its author touted it as a necessary security measure to protect the state from China, Iran, North Korea and Russia. No action was taken on the bill, which has emerged as one of the more controversial proposals during this year’s legislative session.
Its author, Brenham Republican Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, said the proposal enjoys popular support among Texans. But leading up to Thursday’s public hearing, Kolkhorst significantly modified the bill, softening it after Asian American and Pacific Islander advocacy groups, Democratic lawmakers, real estate organizations and banking trade groups expressed concern for its targeting of people based on nationality.
