SB 394 North Carolina Senate · 2025-2026 Session

Prohibit Foreign Ownership of NC Land.

Senate Bill 394, titled the North Carolina Farmland and Military Protection Act, seeks to prevent specific foreign entities from acquiring certain lands in North Carolina. The bill prohibits citizens, residents, and entities linked to China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia from purchasing, leasing, or holding interests in agricultural land or land within a 25-mile radius of a military installation. It also includes provisions for the divestment of such lands if acquired in violation and requires documentation of land ownership by these entities. Exemptions apply for de minimis interests in publicly traded companies and for entities cleared by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2025

Committee Review

Jun 2026

Senate Passage

May 2025

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Mar 24, 2025 Last action Jun 9, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 5 comparisons

What changed between versions

Edition 4 → Edition 5 · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill was updated from Edition 4 to Edition 5, reflecting committee substitutions and a new House Committee Substitute. The most significant substantive change is a refinement in the definition of an 'adversarial foreign government,' which now specifically references a particular subsection of federal regulations regarding International Traffic in Arms Regulations, potentially narrowing or clarifying which foreign entities are restricted from owning agricultural land in North Carolina.

Scope change

The scope of restricted foreign ownership may be technically narrowed or clarified by specifying the exact regulatory citation (22 C.F.R. § 126.1(d)) used to identify adversarial governments.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'adversarial foreign government' was updated to cite a specific subsection of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (22 C.F.R. § 126.1(d)) instead of the broader Part 126, likely to precisely identify which countries or groups are subject to the foreign ownership ban.

TECHNICAL

The document header was updated to reflect the bill is now Edition 5, including new adoption dates for the House Committee Substitute and a second favorable substitute, indicating the bill has progressed through additional legislative review stages.

Floor votes · Senate May 1, 2025

How they voted

42–0

Passed · 9 other

Total votes 51

May 1, 2025

D Democratic20

15 Yea 5

75% Yea

R Republican31

27 Yea 4

87% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jun 9, 2026

Committee

Re-ref Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

lower

Jun 9, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reptd Fav Com Sub 2

lower

May 12, 2026

Committee

Re-ref Com On Homeland Security and Military and Veterans Affairs

lower

May 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reptd Fav Com Substitute

lower

Apr 30, 2026

Committee

Re-ref to the Com on Judiciary 2, if favorable, Homeland Security and Military and Veterans Affairs, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

lower

May 6, 2025

Committee

Ref To Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

lower

May 1, 2025

Upper · Passed

Passed 3rd Reading

upper

Apr 30, 2025

Upper · Passed

Reptd Fav

upper

Apr 29, 2025

Committee

Re-ref Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate

upper

Apr 29, 2025

Upper · Passed

Com Substitute Adopted

upper

Apr 29, 2025

Upper · Passed

Reptd Fav Com Substitute

upper

Apr 8, 2025

Committee

Re-ref Com On Judiciary

upper

Apr 8, 2025

Upper · Passed

Com Substitute Adopted

upper

Apr 8, 2025

Upper · Passed

Reptd Fav Com Substitute

upper

Mar 26, 2025

Committee

Re-ref to Agriculture, Energy, and Environment. If fav, re-ref to Judiciary. If fav, re-ref to Rules and Operations of the Senate

upper

Mar 25, 2025

Committee

Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate

upper

Mar 24, 2025

Introduced

Filed

upper

2 primary · 13 co-sponsors