By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Senate Majority Whip Frank Carroll (R-LD28) advanced legislation Monday aimed at tightening restrictions on foreign adversaries’ ability to acquire or access land and critical infrastructure in the state.
Senate Bill 1683 would lower the statutory “substantial interest” ownership threshold from 30% to 5% and expand prohibitions to prevent the use of shell companies, convertible debt arrangements, options, and other financial structures to obtain property interests in Arizona, according to a press release from Senate leadership.
The measure also restricts access not only to ownership interests, but to leases, development rights, and the installation or operation of certain equipment on Arizona property. The bill applies to equipment, including antennas, communication systems, autonomous technology, surveillance devices, and high-sensitivity sensors.
Under SB 1683, public utilities and operators of critical infrastructure would be required to report suspicious agreements involving covered entities. Violations involving the use of prohibited equipment would be classified as felonies.
“This is about protecting Arizona, plain and simple,” Carroll said in a statement. “We’ve already taken steps to prevent hostile foreign governments from purchasing our land, but we’ve seen how quickly bad actors adapt. If they can’t buy property, they will try to lease it. If they can’t put their names on a deed, they’ll hide behind shell companies or secretly install surveillance equipment. This bill closes those loopholes.”
He added, “Arizona farmland, military-adjacent property, airports, utilities, and critical infrastructure should never become tools for foreign espionage or leverage for hostile regimes. We must not allow adversarial nations or terrorist-linked actors to gain control, either directly or indirectly, over Arizona soil. This legislation draws a clear line: our land, infrastructure, and security are not for sale, lease, or negotiation.”
SB 1683 passed the Senate Federalism Committee on a 5-2 vote, with only Republican support, and now advances to the full Senate for consideration.
Arizona lawmakers enacted a 2025 measure, Senate Bill 1082, adding A.R.S. § 33-443 to state statutes, which restricts land purchases by entities connected to designated foreign adversaries. SB 1683 would amend and expand those existing provisions.
If approved by the Legislature and signed into law, the bill would take immediate effect as an emergency measure with a two-thirds vote of both legislative houses.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
