Sen. McInnis files bill in North Carolina Senate to protect farmland and military sites

A new bill filed by State Sen. McInnis seeks to prevent adversarial foreign governments from acquiring agricultural lands and properties near military installations in North Carolina, according to the North Carolina State Senate.

The bill, filed as SB 504 on March 25 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘NC Farmland and Military Protection Act.’

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, the bill, titled the North Carolina Farmland and Military Protection Act, seeks to prohibit adversarial foreign governments, as defined by the United States Department of State, from acquiring interests in agricultural lands and lands within a 75-mile radius of military installations in North Carolina. It defines key terms such as “adversarial foreign government,” “agricultural land,” and “military installation,” outlining specific properties included under these definitions. Purchases in violation of this act will be void. The act assigns the responsibility of determining applicable entities to both the adversarial foreign governments and the state. It contains a severability clause to ensure that invalidation of any section does not affect the remainder of the act. The legislation becomes effective Dec. 1, 2025.

A related bill, HB 133, was also filed in the North Carolina House, introduced by Rep. Jennifer Balkcom (and three others) on Feb. 17, 2025.

Of the three sponsors of this bill, Timothy D. Moffitt proposed the most bills (70) during the 2025 regular session.

Bills in North Carolina follow a multi-step process before becoming law. A lawmaker starts by filing a bill, which is assigned to a committee for review. The bill must be read three times in each chamber. If one chamber changes the bill after the other passes it, both must agree on the final version. Once both chambers approve the same bill, it goes to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 if the legislature is not in session) to sign, veto, or let it become law without a signature.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.

Mclnnis, a Republican, was elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 2023 to represent the state’s 21st Senate district, replacing previous state senator Ben Clark.