Bill Cracking Down on Foreign Adversaries Heads to Senate

The House passedState Rep. Matt Commons’ (R-Williamsport) legislationprotecting Hoosier technology, intellectual property and land from foreign adversaries.

“Foreign adversaries like China and North Korea should not be benefiting from the hard work and resources of Hoosiers,” Commons said. “This legislation would crack down on the misuse of our intellectual material, academic research and control of our valuable land.”

The U.S. Department of Commerce maintains a list of adversarial countries including Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, Cuba and Venezuela. According to Commons, House Bill 1099 would require contractors of parties to state and local technological product or service contracts who are from an adversarial country to certify, under penalty of perjury, that they aren’t acting on behalf of that adversary.  

Commons said his bill would further protect intellectual property by requiring students from adversarial countries, who are not dual citizens or permanent residents of the U.S., to pass a security review before being admitted into qualifying programs such as engineering, computer science and more at state education institutions.

This bill would also prohibit people and entities acting on behalf of these adversarial countries from acquiring or leasing land in Indiana. Existing land ownership by people or entities from adversarial countries could continue as long as they aren’t acting as an agent for that country.

House Bill 1099 now moves to the Senate for consideration. To learn more and follow session, visit iga.in.gov.

Commons represents House District 13, which includes all of Benton and Warren counties, and portions of Fountain, Jasper, Montgomery, Newton, Tippecanoe and White counties.