AUSTIN, Texas (Tribune News Service) — A controversial proposal decried as a racist attack on Texas’ Asian and Pacific Islander communities is dead after failing to reach the House floor before a crucial deadline.

The bill from Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, had initially proposed a ban on all citizens of nations deemed threats to the United States — China, Iran, North Korea and Russia — from owning property.

The bill, Senate Bill 147, was greatly watered down to legislation that would have banned only ownership of agricultural and oil leases to citizens of those nations. It passed through the Senate on April 26 with support from all Republicans and one Democrat, McAllen Sen. Juan ‘Chuy’ Hinojosa, in favor.

But the House never granted a hearing on it. After Speaker Dade Phelan canceled a planned session of the House, he effectively closed the door on the bill and dozens of other Senate proposals.

“While our community has succeeded in stopping this terrible bill, it does not undo the racist and xenophobic rhetoric lobbed by elected officials,” a statement from Asian Texans for Justice read. “We will continue to stand up against discrimination and racism against the Asian American community.”

Barring an attempt to tack Kolkhorst’s legislation to another bill in the waning days of the ongoing legislative session, the proposal will fail. Senate Republicans used a similar last-ditch tactic on Monday to revive a school choice bill after it appeared dead in the House.

But time is short as the session ends Monday.

Kolkhorst did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Concerns over Chinese ownership of land in Texas spiked after lawmakers learned that a real estate tycoon based in China purchased about 140,000 acres near Laughlin Air Force Base in Val Verde County.

Kolkhorst had said her proposal builds on a bill passed in 2021 banning companies based in China, Iran, North Korea and Russia from owning critical infrastructure in the state. Multiple Texas Democrats, including Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, had criticized Kolkhorst’s bill, describing it as racist.

Pushback on the Senate bill ramped up after Abbott tweeted that he would sign Kolkhorst’s bill if passed. Multiple organizations with ties to the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities held rallies against the effort in major Texas cities, including in Austin, Dallas and Houston.

Allen resident Jerry Pi, who has been a vocal opponent of the bill, said he is heartened to see that the Chinese-American community rally against the legislation as well as others they saw as discriminatory.

Pi said he hopes to see such unity against similar bills in other states.

“We should be more vocal and active about our political rights. We have to not be afraid and not ashamed of protecting our own interests,” Pi said. “I am grateful that the constitution protects our right to protest. We put in the effort, and indeed, it did make a difference.”

Stephanie Drenka, co-founder of the Dallas Asian American Historical Society, described the fight against the Texas bill as a significant moment in Asian-American history.

She stressed the importance of recognizing that it was not the first time people in the Asian American community have stood up to injustice.

“It also shows that people sometimes underestimate our political power and our ability to organize around these issues,” Drenka said. “We tend to forget that Asian-American history happens in places like Texas.”

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previous coverage

• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs bills limiting Chinese land ownership, TikTok at schools
• Heartland lawmakers push bans on Chinese purchases of American farms
• 4 Texas bills that could limit Chinese, Iranian, North Korean and Russian land ownership
• Why are some American legislators trying to ban Chinese citizens from buying land?