Posted on 06/05/2025 8:12:40 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs on June 2 vetoed a bill that would have prohibited the Chinese communist regime and state-owned enterprises from acquiring property in Arizona, according to her office.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs speaks at the state Capitol in Phoenix on May 2, 2024. Matt York/AP Photo
Senate Bill 1109, sponsored by Arizona Senate Majority leader Janae Shamp (R-Ariz.), seeks to prevent China from buying or holding a substantial interest—a 30 percent stake or more—in property within Arizona.
The proposed measure was designed to safeguard the state’s “military, commercial and agricultural assets” from the risks of “foreign espionage and sabotage,” which could lead to national security threats, according to the bill.
In a letter announcing her veto of the legislation, Hobbs said the bill was “ineffective at counter-espionage” and did not directly protect military assets in the state from such potential threats.
The governor also stated that the bill “lacks clear implementation criteria” and that it could lead to “arbitrary enforcement,” without elaborating further.
Shamp criticized the governor’s veto as a “politically motivated” move and warned that Arizona’s future would be “in jeopardy” if Hobbs continued on this trajectory, noting that this was not the first time Hobbs had vetoed legislation aimed at enhancing public safety.
The senator cited Hobbs’s decision in April to veto a bill that aimed to ban the use of telecommunication equipment manufactured by China—referred to as a “foreign adversary”—in the state. Hobbs said at the time that the bill would cause “undue difficulty” for businesses and “generate costs to taxpayers.”
“It is utterly insane that Arizona’s top elected official would rather be an obstructionist against safeguarding our citizens from threats than to sign legislation giving our state a fighting chance at proactively preventing attacks,” Shamp said in a statement released by the Arizona Senate Republican Caucus.
Shamp said that China has acquired “large tracts” of land and property near critical installations in recent years that could be used to carry out surveillance and gather intelligence on critical assets of the United States.
She warned that China could use these properties to position autonomous weapons systems, such as drone swarms, and potentially use them to launch attacks on U.S. military bases in the event of a conflict.
A pilot assigned to the 61st Fighter Squadron and 61st Aircraft Maintenance Unit crew chiefs prepare an F-35A Lightning II at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., on Jan. 15, 2019. Courtesy of the U.S Air Force
Shamp stated that SB 1109 would have ensured that “enemies of the United States would not have easy access to our military bases and critical infrastructure to carry out harm.”
“SB 1109 was a commonsense security measure to ensure enemies of the United States would not have easy access to our military bases and critical infrastructure to carry out harm,” she stated. “Luke Air Force Base recently faced this very real danger.”
The governor’s office did not return a request for comment by publication time.
Last month, Hobbs, a Democrat, vetoed more than 30 Republican-sponsored bills related to immigration enforcement and school policies. Among them was SB 1088, which would have required state and local governments to fully cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts.
The governor also rejected SB 1268 on May 12, which would have required hospitals to ask patients about their immigration status and submit reports on the health care costs of illegal immigrants.
There have been growing concerns about the national security implications of Chinese entities acquiring land close to military bases.
Last year, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a set of bills into law aimed at supporting the state’s agricultural industry, including a bill prohibiting “nonresident aliens” acting as agents of China or other foreign adversaries from acquiring farmland or nonresidential land within a 10-mile radius of a military base in the state.
Arizona is home to the Army’s numerous military installations, including Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, Arizona, which hosts the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence. Other key bases in the state include Yuma Proving Ground and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, as well as several Air Force bases, according to the America First Policy Institute.
Chase Smith contributed to this report.
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you.
Stolen elections have consequences.
when you get away w/stealing elections with no consequences, you (hobbs) feel like you can do anything.....
So I go to YouTube to see if any of the local Arizona channels covered the veto. I didn’t see a one.
Feds need to look in her , her family and her cohorts back pockets and couch cushions.
AZ has a huge problem.
AZ has a huge problem.
+++++++++++
Besides the fact that the dirty mop I just used has a better look than the scarecrow that is katie hobbs?
Katie Hobbs is a dumb-dumb!
God save Arizona!
National Security issue. Federal Congress should ban.
Stolen elections have consequences.”
The most brazen and obvious stolen election of them all and she totally got away with it. As SOS she rigged the voting machines to fail in Republican precincts on election day. After waiting over two hours people gave up and went to work. Then a rat Judge refused to extend voting hours so the ones that left were unable to return and vote after work. Hundreds of thousands of voters were disenfranchised. There is more.
Yeah.
The stupidest people from NAU (the sociology majors) end up stealing elections because they can’t get any jobs except as waitresses at the Olive Garden.
What a clever old female dog.
She steals elections and is a traitor to our nation.
This is more of a threat:
Krazy Katie Hoggs is the kind of idiot who will take her pet to a Karine Jean Pierre book signing and Haitian barbeque.
“So I go to YouTube to see if any of the local Arizona channels covered the veto. I didn’t see a one.”
See my tag line.
I think it was back in the late 80’s early 90s that the Japanese were buying US land at high prices, I seem to recall a famous gold course in middle California. Think they ended up losing their shorts.
Wasn’t hard to guess she is a Democrat before I looked it up. Why would they allow giving away our country to a foreign government? Guess I thought the people of Arizona had more sense than to elect a state official like this. Guess i was wrong.
Yep.
Guess who is on the CCP Bribe List.
That’s happens when dumb Americans vote the commie line.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.