Overview

• The state Senate passed SB 1109 in a 17-11 party-line vote after narrowing its scope from targeting multiple adversarial nations to only the Chinese government and its subdivisions.
• Under the bill, Chinese state entities would have been barred from acquiring Arizona real estate—unless required by devise, descent or debt enforcement—and obligated to divest within three years.
• Hobbs vetoed SB 1109 on June 2, with her office dismissing it as a political stunt and highlighting that federal authorities already oversee foreign land acquisitions near sensitive installations.
• Republican leaders Janae Shamp and gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson criticized the veto as politically motivated and warned it leaves military bases and infrastructure vulnerable to foreign intelligence threats.
• Security advocates including Michael Lucci of State Armor Action cautioned that the decision opens the door for the Chinese Communist Party to buy land near Luke Air Force Base, the Palo Verde nuclear plant and Taiwan Semiconductor’s Arizona facilities.