The Kansas Legislature continued to work through the legislative session this week, holding several bill hearings and informational meetings. KLA staff provided testimony on two bills of note.
Foreign ownership of land - The House Committee on Commerce, Labor and Economic Development held a hearing on HB 2766. KLA testified in opposition to the bill in its current form, with the ability to become neutral if amended. Currently, the bill prohibits “countries of concern” from acquiring any interest in real property in the state of Kansas within 150 air miles of military installations.
In the bill, “countries of concern” are six countries currently listed as foreign adversaries to the U.S. by the federal government. The bill is retrospective in nature and would require divestment of businesses including Syngenta and Smithfield Foods, if not amended. Syngenta’s entire wheat breeding program is located in Geary County and Smithfield has two further pork processing plants in Kansas, employing nearly 1,000 workers.
A KLA-supported amendment would allow companies such as those mentioned above to continue operations if they have undergone the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States’ review process and either were determined not to be a security threat or entered into a national security agreement allowing oversight of company activities.
Animal Facilities Protection Act - KLA provided testimony in strong support of HB 2816 in the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources. This bill would prohibit trespassing or making false statements on an employment application to gain access to animal facilities and field crop protection areas. The bill amends provisions of current law that were struck down by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals for First Amendment violations.
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Photo Credit: kansas-livestock-foundation
Categories: Kansas, Livestock