Oklahoma Senator Roland Pederson held an interim study examining possible changes to a new state law restricting land ownership by foreign adversaries near military installations and critical infrastructure.
Senate Bill 893, known as the Military Installation and Critical Infrastructure Protection Act, was signed into law in May and takes effect July 1, 2027. The law restricts certain foreign principals from foreign adversary countries from owning or controlling property near military installations and includes protections involving critical infrastructure.
Pederson said lawmakers want to protect national security without creating unnecessary obstacles to economic development.
“We don’t want foreign adversaries operating near our military bases, but we also don’t want to create problems for economic development. We need to protect Oklahoma while making sure communities can still attract good jobs and investment,” Pederson said.
Oklahoma Department of Commerce Director of Global Trade and Investment Mark Wells recommended changing the definition of “foreign adversary” to more closely align with federal law. He also recommended prohibiting state economic development incentives for businesses with ties to foreign adversary nations.
Pederson said he plans to discuss the proposed changes with other lawmakers before the 2027 legislative session.
