HB 1284 Summary

• Enacts the Mississippi Foreign Land Ownership Act prohibiting nonresident aliens from countries designated as foreign adversaries by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce from owning a majority interest in Mississippi agricultural and forestry land.

• Allows nonresident aliens to acquire such land only through inheritance, devise, debt collection, or lien enforcement, with mandatory disposal within one year for inherited land or two years for debt-related acquisitions.

• Exempts agricultural research entities leasing not more than 500 acres for crop production input testing and development from ownership restrictions.

• Establishes enforcement procedures requiring the Secretary of State to issue violation notices and demand compliance, with escalating civil penalties ranging from $100,000-$250,000 for first offenses to $500,000-$5,000,000 for subsequent offenses, and authorizes civil forfeiture of non-compliant property.

• Amends existing law to clarify that land classified as industrial or residential but actually used for forestry or agricultural purposes remains subject to the foreign ownership restrictions.