Did Gov. Katie Hobbs veto a bill broadly restricting Chinese ownership of Arizona land?

Yes.

Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a Republican-backed bill that would have sharply limited the ability of Chinese entities to own land in Arizona. In her veto letter, Hobbs argued the measure did not go far enough to protect the state’s military assets and lacked clear implementation criteria. 

Hobbs proposed expanding the bill to bar land ownership by any nation deemed a foreign adversary, strengthen enforcement provisions and close what she considered loopholes in the initial legislation — such as a provision allowing China to own property if it transferred or sold it after three years. 

More than 20 primarily Republican-led states have passed laws restricting foreign land ownership in recent years. Many have targeted agricultural land or land near sensitive sites like military bases or power grids. Currently, a federal Treasury Department committee reviews and regulates foreign acquisitions of U.S. land. 

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs, or quick-response fact checks, about trending claims relating to Arizona.

Sources

• LegiScan, Arizona SB1109 Bill Text
• Office of Arizona Governor, SB1109 Veto Letter
• Office of Arizona Governor, Governor Katie Hobbs Proposes BAN Act to Get Tough on China, Foreign Adversaries
• Office of Arizona Governor, SB1109 Amendment Edits
• Congressional Research Service, State Regulation of Foreign Ownership of U.S. Land: January 2023 to July 2024
• Michigan State University, Drivers of state legislative actions restricting foreign holdings of U.S. agricultural land
• National Agricultural Law Center, Statutes Regulating Ownership of Agricultural Land