NOVEMBER 2, 2024
To the editor: As a Kansas legislator, both in the Senate and the House, my top priority has always been the security and well-being of our citizens. Recently, there has been a proposal to create a separate state-run organization to prevent foreign nationals from purchasing land in Kansas. While the supposed intention behind this proposition is security, it is in reality a misguided proposition, with unintended secondary and tertiary consequences, that impinges on our citizens’ property rights.
The collaborative efforts between state and federal governments are crucial in addressing security concerns effectively. Over the years, I have built and prioritized those relationships with the ever-rotating fort executive leadership. If there were a national security threat that required this type of state intervention, I can assure you that as the state senator representing Fort Leavenworth – the strategic intellectual center of the U.S. Army – I would have been briefed on it, whether from the senior executive service ranking member, Combined Arms Center leadership, Department of Defense or from the federal administration.
Then there is the existing federal oversight. The United States has robust mechanisms in place to review and regulate foreign land purchases. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is specifically tasked with examining transactions that could affect national security and is made up of 16 agencies that have enormously more intel and resources to investigate issues than our state government. Additionally, the federal government, not individual states, designates foreign adversaries. This ensures a consistent and comprehensive approach to national security that individual states simply cannot replicate.
Kansas does not have the authority nor the resources to effectively manage foreign land purchases. Creating a state-run organization for this purpose would be redundant and inefficient and is just an attempt to grow government. This is more about political positioning than practical governance. Our focus should be on real and immediate threats, not on duplicating federal efforts.
I have been focused on the real and pressing threat to our state and citizens – cybersecurity. Six years ago, I helped push through the initial cybersecurity legislation that laid the foundation for protecting our state’s digital infrastructure. Since then, I’ve strengthened this legislation by addressing evolving cyber threats, ensuring that Kansas remains vigilant and prepared. Our legislative leadership has languished on this front because they simply do not understand the impacts foreign interference can have here – whether it’s shutting down a branch of government, stealing funds or creating havoc in our elections. As a member of the Information Technology Executive Council, the Joint Committee on Information Technology and the Joint Committee on Kansas Security, I have been at the forefront of addressing cybersecurity issues.
The other area of security I have been focused on is domestic. Whether it’s been stiffening sentences on fentanyl, investing in mental health services, supporting our officers on the front line, I’m proud to have the endorsement of the State Fraternal Order of Police and others for working to ensure a more secure Kansas.
I have delivered results for my community by ensuring security, stabilizing and increasing public education funding and delivering relief for our veterans, our elderly and our working families. I ask for your vote on Nov. 5 for state senator.
– Sen. Jeff Pittman / Leavenworth
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