A bill

 

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 1-1-2010 SO AS TO PROHIBIT OWNERSHIP OR CONTROL OF TANGIBLE OR INTANGIBLE PROPERTY IN SOUTH CAROLINA BY ALIENS OR PERSONS AFFILIATED WITH FOREIGN ADVERSARIES, FOREIGN TERRORISTS, OR TRANSNATIONAL CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS; BY ADDING SECTION 1-1-2020 SO AS TO AUTHORIZE THE GOVERNOR TO IDENTIFY FOREIGN ADVERSARIES, FOREIGN TERRORISTS, OR TRANSNATIONAL CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS IMPACTING SOUTH CAROLINA; BY ADDING SECTION 14-1-75 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT COURTS NOT USE SHARIA LAW IN MAKING JUDICIAL DECISIONS; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 27-13-30, RELATING TO LIMITATION ON ALIEN LAND OWNERSHIP, SO AS TO PROHIBIT ACQUISITION OF REAL PROPERTY BY ALIENS OR PERSONS AFFILIATED WITH FOREIGN ADVERSARIES, FOREIGN TERRORISTS, OR TRANSNATIONAL CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS AND TO PROVIDE FOR DIVESTING SUCH PERSONS OF THEIR REAL PROPERTY.

 

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

 

SECTION 1.  Chapter 1, Title 1 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

 

Article 29

 

Prohibition of Ownership or Control of Property by Aliens or Persons Affiliated with Foreign Adversaries, Foreign Terrorists, or Transnational Criminal Organizations

 

    Section 1-1-2010.  (A) For the purposes of this section:

       (1) "Acquire" means buy, purchase, sell, own, lease, hold, or exercise control over tangible or intangible property on, before, or after the effective date of this section.

       (2) "Affiliated" means belongs to, is connected with, is a member of, represents, or acts on behalf of a foreign adversary, a foreign terrorist organization, or a transnational criminal organization.

       (3) "Alien" means a person who is not a citizen of or a lawful permanent resident of the United States.

       (4) "Foreign adversary" means any foreign government or nongovernment person determined by the United States Secretary of Commerce to have engaged in a long-term pattern or serious instances of conduct significantly adverse to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States citizens.

       (5) "Foreign law" means any law, rule, or legal code or system used or applied by another jurisdiction outside the United States or its territories and includes, but is not limited to, Sharia law.

       (6) "Foreign terrorist organization" means an entity designated by the:

           (a) United States Secretary of State in accordance with Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationalization Act, 8 United States Code § 1189, as amended, or

           (b) Governor of South Carolina as provided in Section 1-1-2020.

       (7) "Intangible property" means all property other than tangible property that is based in, established in, or the source for its existence is located in South Carolina including, but not being limited to, copyrights, trademarks, money, bank deposits, shares of stock, bonds, credits, evidences of debt, choses in action, or evidences of an interest in property.

       (8) "Person" means an individual, member, group, organization, corporation, and any other entity that has the authority to acquire real property.

       (9) "Tangible property" means real property and corporeal personal property located in South Carolina but does not include money, bank deposits, shares of stock, bonds, credits, evidences of debt, choses in action, or evidences of an interest in property.

       (10) "Transnational criminal organization" means a group that conducts illegal activities including, but not limited to, drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering, and cybercrime across multiple countries.

    (B) An alien or a person affiliated with a foreign adversary, a foreign terrorist organization, or a transnational criminal organization:

           (1) may not acquire any interest in any tangible or intangible property within the limits of this State on and after the effective date of this section; and

           (2) must be divested of any tangible or intangible property within the limits of this State that the alien or person affiliated with a foreign adversary, a foreign terrorist organization, or a transnational criminal organization has acquired.

    (C) On and after the effective date of this section, any tangible or intangible property acquired in this State by an alien or person affiliated with a foreign adversary, a foreign terrorist organization, or a transnational criminal organization is, without benefit of compensation or access to the process of eminent domain, forfeited to the State or, in the case of a lease, returned to the United States citizen owning the property.

    (D) The Attorney General's office, the South Carolina Law Division (SLED), and state and local law enforcement are empowered:

           (1) to locate and remove aliens and persons prohibited from having tangible or intangible property interests as provided in this section; and

           (2) to report and deliver those aliens and persons to United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement or any other appropriate law enforcement agency.

    (E)(1) A court, arbitrator, administrative agency, or other adjudicative, mediative, or enforcement authority may not enforce a foreign law that contravenes the provisions of this section.

       (2) If a contractual provision or agreement providing for choice of foreign law contravenes the provisions of this section, it must be modified or declared void to uphold and preserve the prohibitions in this section.

 

    Section 1-1-2020.  (A) By executive order, the Governor, after consultation with the Attorney General and the Chief of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), may for purposes of Sections 1-1-2010 and 27-13-30:

       (1) determine whether an alien or person acquiring, buying, purchasing, selling, owning, leasing, holding, or exercising control over tangible or intangible property in this State poses a risk to national security or the public; and

       (2) designate a country, foreign adversary, foreign terrorist organization, or transnational criminal organization as prohibited from acquiring, buying, selling, owning, leasing, holding, or exercising control over tangible or intangible property in this State.

    (B) A Governor may remove a designation by executive order.

    (C) The designation or removal applies only to the acquisition of an interest in real property during the time when the Governor's executive order is in effect.

 

SECTION 2.  Chapter 1, Title 14 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

 

    Section 14-1-75. The courts provided for in Section 14-1-70, when exercising their judicial authority, shall uphold and adhere to the law as provided in the United States Constitution, the United States Code, federal regulations, the Constitution of South Carolina, the Code of Laws of South Carolina, state regulations, case law and common law applicable to South Carolina, and if necessary, the law of another state of the United States or of another jurisdiction provided the law of the other state or jurisdiction does not include Sharia law in making judicial decisions. Specifically, the courts shall not consider Sharia law. The provisions of this section apply to all cases before the respective courts including, but not limited to, cases of first impression.

 

SECTION 3.  Section 27-13-30 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 

    Section 27-13-30.  (A) For the purposes of this section:

       (1) "Acquire" means buy, purchase, sell, own, lease, hold, or exercise control over real property on, before, or after the effective date of this section.

       (2) "Affiliated" means belongs to, is connected with, is a member of, represents, or acts on behalf of a foreign adversary, a foreign terrorist organization, or a transnational criminal organization.

       (3) "Alien" means a person who is not a citizen of or a lawful permanent resident of the United States.

       (4) "Foreign adversary" means any foreign government or nongovernment person determined by the United States Secretary of Commerce to have engaged in a long-term pattern or serious instances of conduct significantly adverse to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States citizens.

       (5) "Foreign law" means any law, rule, or legal code or system used or applied by another jurisdiction outside the United States or its territories and includes, but is not limited to, Sharia law.

       (6) "Foreign terrorist organization" means an entity designated by the:

           (a) United States Secretary of State in accordance with Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationalization Act, 8 United States Code § 1189, as amended, or

           (b) Governor of South Carolina as provided in Section 1-1-2020.

       (7) "Person" means an individual, member, group, organization, corporation, and any other entity that has the authority to acquire real property.

       (8) "Transnational criminal organization" means a group that conducts illegal activities including, but not limited to, drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering, and cybercrime across multiple countries.

    (B) NoSubject to the provisions of subsections (C) through (F), no alien, person, or corporation controlled by aliens, either in his or its own right or as trustee, cestui que trust or agent, shall own or control within the limits of this State more than five hundred thousand acres of land.  Nothing in this section shall apply to lands owned or controlled by any such person or corporation nor to lands mortgaged to such a person or corporation on March 9, 1896, nor shall this section apply to lands conveyed by an alien to a corporation controlled by such alien.

    (C) An alien or a person affiliated with a foreign adversary, a foreign terrorist organization, or a transnational criminal organization:

       (1) may not acquire any interest in any real property within the limits of this State on and after the effective date of this section; and

       (2) must be divested of any real property the alien or person has acquired.

    (D) On and after the effective date of this section, any real property acquired by an alien or person affiliated with a foreign adversary, a foreign terrorist organization, or a transnational criminal organization is, without benefit of compensation or access to the process of eminent domain, forfeited to the State or, in the case of a lease, returned to the United States citizen owning the property.

    (E) The Attorney General's office, the South Carolina Law Division (SLED), and state and local law enforcement are empowered:

       (1) to locate and remove aliens and persons prohibited from having real property interests as provided in this section; and

       (2) to report and deliver those aliens and persons to United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement or any other appropriate law enforcement agency.

    (F)(1) A court, arbitrator, administrative agency, or other adjudicative, mediative, or enforcement authority may not enforce a foreign law that contravenes the provisions of this section.

       (2) If a contractual provision or agreement providing for choice of foreign law contravenes the provisions of this section, it must be modified or declared void to uphold and preserve the prohibitions in this section.

 

SECTION 4.  This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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