Will Illinois Ban Foreign Countries from Buying Farm Land?

A new law being proposed would protect the land in the Land of Lincoln from foreign countries buying it up, should the state pass this law? Or is the better question, why hasn't the state already passed this law? Here are the details...

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According to an article from The Center Square, there is a new bill being proposed in Illinois that would prevent foreign countries from buying up farmland in the Land of Lincoln. In the article, they say...

"State Sen. Sally Turner, R-Beason, said her bill, Senate Bill 2668, aims to alleviate farmers' fears that land acquisitions by foreign nations and investors may inflate farmland prices and pose a potential threat to national security. "We can’t go get new farmland. We can’t invent more or manufacture new farmland. It is something that we need in order to feed the world," Turner said. Currently, 24 states have passed similar legislation to manage the risks associated with the purchase of farmland by foreign entities that may jeopardize national security."

To read more about this proposed bill, click here!

Will it pass?

I hope so. But to be honest with you I don't know if it will, it seems to me that any legislation proposed by a republican representative could have a hard time passing in Illinois. The fact that 24 other states have already passed similar legislation gives me hope Illinois will as well, and at the same time it frustrates me that the state hasn't already passed this legislation. Agriculture is such an important part of the economy here in Illinois we have to protect it, and the farmers who work the land. We can't just let the land be bought up and privatized especially by foreign countries who we don't have stable relationships with. Do you think this law is a good idea?