House Panel Hears Foreign Influence Package

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 03/20/2025) The House Government Operations Committee took testimony on Thursday on bills that aim to reduce the influence of “foreign countries of concern” on Michigan, meaning China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria or Venezuela.

Most of the committee testimony centered around HB 4233 sponsored by Rep. Gina Johnsen (R-Lake Odessa) and HB 4234 sponsored by Rep. Luke Meerman (R-Coopersville), which prohibits a government, political party, corporation or citizen of a foreign country of concern from owning or acquiring agricultural land or land within 20 miles of a military installation in Michigan.

Concern in committee centered around where legal liability would fall and how the bills would be enforced. Rep. Mike McFall (D-Hazel Park), for example, questioned if a realtor or seller of land could be liable for the sale of land.

Johnsen and Meerman clarified that a realtor wouldn’t be held responsible, but a seller would if they “knowingly” did business with a foreign country of concern. In these bills, “knowingly” is doing a lot of the heavy lifting.

“This is only a few countries, but their intentions are significantly adverse to the American way of life and our freedoms and our sustainability as a country. It’s not wide sweeping, but it’s just guarding against those bad actors,” Johnsen said. “It will be worked out in the courts, and it could be messy or it could be very clean cut.”

The committee also took testimony on HB 4241, sponsored by Rep. Mike Hoadley (R-Au Gres), which prohibits the Michigan Strategic Fund from “knowingly” entering into an economic incentive agreement with a foreign country of concern, or a corporation that conducts most of its business in one of the countries.

When it comes to the list of countries deemed “foreign countries of concern,” Hoadley said it would take passing more legislation to change it.

Additionally, HB 4238 sponsored by Rep. Nancy Jenkins-Arno (R-Clayton) prohibits public schools from entering into agreements with or receiving grants from a foreign country of concern if the agreement or grant limits the public schools’ ability to enter into contracts, allows curriculum or values to be directed or controlled by that foreign country of concern or promotes an agenda that would be detrimental to the safety and security of the United States.

It also requires cultural exchange programs that schools may want to enter into to be shared with a federal agency that oversees national security.

HB 4242 sponsored by Rep. Jamie Thompson (R-Brownstown) requires health systems to keep off-site patient medical records maintained in the United States rather than abroad to protect data or other sensitive information.

HB 4240 sponsored by Rep. Bill G. Schuette (R-Midland) prohibits state agencies and local governments from entering into constraining agreements with foreign countries of concern and requires public bodies to disclose gifts and agreements they enter with those countries.

Another Schuette bill taken up in the committee, HB 4118, allows county drain commissioners to levy drain assessments against property belonging to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

A typo in the bill was resolved in a committee substitute that corrects “country” to “county”.

“Country roads can take us home, but this bill should reference the County Roads Association,” Schuette said about his substitute. The bill was also reported with recommendation.