CHAPTER 66—AGRICULTURAL FOREIGN INVESTMENT DISCLOSURE

        

§3501. Reporting requirements

(a) Acquisitions or transfers of certain agricultural land interests by foreign persons

Any foreign person who acquires or transfers any interest, other than a security interest, in agricultural land shall submit a report to the Secretary of Agriculture not later than 90 days after the date of such acquisition or transfer. Such report shall be submitted in such form and in accordance with such procedures as the Secretary may require and shall contain—

(1) the legal name and the address of such foreign person;

(2) in any case in which such foreign person is an individual, the citizenship of such foreign person;

(3) in any case in which such foreign person is not an individual or a government, the nature of the legal entity holding the interest, the country in which such foreign person is created or organized, and the principal place of business of such foreign person;

(4) the type of interest in agricultural land which such foreign person acquired or transferred;

(5) the legal description and acreage of such agricultural land;

(6) the purchase price paid for, or any other consideration given for, such interest;

(7) in any case in which such foreign person transfers such interest, the legal name and the address of the person to whom such interest is transferred and—

(A) in any case in which such transferee is an individual, the citizenship of such transferee; and

(B) in any case in which such transferee is not an individual or a government, the nature of the legal entity holding the interest, the country in which such transferee is created or organized, and the principal place of business of such transferee;

(8) the agricultural purposes for which such foreign person intends, on the date on which such report is submitted to the Secretary, to use such agricultural land; and

(9) such other information as the Secretary may require by regulation.

(b) Agricultural land interests presently held by foreign persons

Any foreign person who holds any interest, other than a security interest, in agricultural land on the day before the effective date of this section shall submit a report to the Secretary not later than 180 days after such effective date. Such report shall be submitted in such form and in accordance with such procedures as the Secretary may require and shall contain—

(1) the legal name and the address of such foreign person;

(2) in any case in which such foreign person is an individual, the citizenship of such foreign person;

(3) in any case in which such foreign person is not an individual or a government, the nature of the legal entity holding the interest, the country in which such foreign person is created or organized, and the principal place of business of such foreign person;

(4) the type of interest in agricultural land which is held by such foreign person;

(5) the legal description and acreage of such agricultural land;

(6) the purchase price paid for, or any other consideration given for, such interest;

(7) the agricultural purposes for which such foreign person—

(A) is using such agricultural land on the date on which such report is submitted to the Secretary; and

(B) intends, as of such date, to use such agricultural land; and

(8) such other information as the Secretary may require by regulation.

(c) Change in foreign person status of interest holders

Any person who holds or acquires (on or after the effective date of this section) any interest, other than a security interest, in agricultural land at a time when such person is not a foreign person and who subsequently becomes a foreign person shall submit a report to the Secretary not later than 90 days after the date on which such person becomes a foreign person. Such report shall be submitted in such form and in accordance with such procedures as the Secretary may require and shall contain the information required by subsection (b) of this section. This subsection shall not apply with respect to any person who is required to submit a report with respect to such land under subsection (b) of this section.

(d) Conversion of land to agricultural uses

Any foreign person who holds or acquires (on or after the effective date of this section) any interest, other than a security interest, in land at a time when such land is not agricultural land and such land subsequently becomes agricultural land shall submit a report to the Secretary not later than 90 days after the date on which such land becomes agricultural land. Such report shall be submitted in such form and in accordance with such procedures as the Secretary may require and shall contain the information required by subsection (b) of this section. This subsection shall not apply with respect to any person who is required to submit a report with respect to such land under subsection (b) of this section.

(e) Additional reports by foreign persons other than individuals or governments

With respect to any foreign person, other than an individual or a government, who is required by subsection (a), (b), (c), or (d) of this section to submit a report, the Secretary may, in addition, require such foreign person to submit to the Secretary a report containing—

(A) the legal name and the address of each person who holds any interest in such foreign person;

(B) in any case in which the holder of such interest is an individual, the citizenship of such holder; and

(C) in any case in which the holder of such interest is not an individual or a government, the nature of the legal entity holding the interest, the country in which such holder is created or organized, and the principal place of business of such holder.

(f) Persons holding interests under subsection (e)

With respect to any person, other than an individual or a government, whose legal name is contained in any report submitted under subsection (e) of the section, the Secretary may require such person to submit to the Secretary a report containing—

(A) the legal name and the address of any person who holds any interest in the person submitting the report under this subsection;

(B) in any case in which the holder of such interest is an individual, the citizenship of such holder; and

(C) in any case in which the holder of such interest is not an individual or a government, the nature of the legal entity holding the interest, the country in which such holder is created or organized, and the principle ¹ place of business of such holder.

(Pub. L. 95–460, §2, Oct. 14, 1978, 92 Stat. 1263.)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

For the effective date of this section, referred to in subsecs. (b) to (d), see section 10(b) of Pub. L. 95–460, set out as an Effective Date note below.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Pub. L. 95–460, §10, Oct. 14, 1978, 92 Stat. 1267, provided that:

"(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, this Act [enacting this chapter] shall become effective on the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 14, 1978].

"(b) Section 2 [section 3501 of this title] shall become effective on the date on which regulations prescribed by the Secretary under section 8 [section 3507 of this title] become effective."

Short Title

Pub. L. 95–460, §1, Oct. 14, 1978, 92 Stat. 1263, provided that: "This Act [enacting this chapter] may be cited as the 'Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978'."

Report to Congress on Foreign Investments in Agricultural Land in the United States

Pub. L. 118–42, div. B, title VII, §742, Mar. 9, 2024, 138 Stat. 111, provided that: "The Secretary, as part of the report on foreign landholding required under the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (Public Law 95–460), shall report to Congress on foreign investments in agricultural land in the United States, including the impact foreign ownership has on family farms, rural communities, and the domestic food supply: Provided, That within 2 years after the enactment of this Act [Mar. 9, 2024], the Secretary shall establish a streamlined process for electronic submission and retention of disclosures made under the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act [of 1978, 7 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.], including an internet database that contains disaggregated data from each disclosure submitted: Provided further,That all prior year disclosures of foreign investments in agricultural land in the United States are published in the database: Provided further, That the plan includes a process to ensure the protection of personally identifiable information and that all disclosures of foreign investments in agricultural land on the USDA website be disaggregated by: (1) in any case in which such foreign person is an individual, the citizenship of such foreign person; and (2) in any case in which such foreign person is not an individual or a government, the nature of the legal entity holding the interest, the country in which such foreign person is created or organized, and the principal place of business of such foreign person."

Similar provisions were contained in the following prior appropriation acts:

Pub. L. 117–328, div. A, title VII, §773, Dec. 29, 2022, 136 Stat. 4509.

¹ So in original. Probably should be "principal".

§3502. Civil penalty

(a) If the Secretary determines that a person—

(1) has failed to submit a report in accordance with the provisions of section 3501 of this title, or

(2) has knowingly submitted a report under section 3501 of this title—

(A) which does not contain all the information required to be in such report, or

(B) which contains information that is misleading or false,

such person shall be subject to a civil penalty imposed by the Secretary. The amount of any such civil penalty shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of subsection (b) of this section. Any such civil penalty shall be recoverable in a civil action brought by the Attorney General of the United States in an appropriate district court of the United States.

(b) The amount of any civil penalty imposed by the Secretary under subsection (a) of this section shall be such amount as the Secretary determines to be appropriate to carry out the purposes of this chapter, except that such amount shall not exceed 25 percent of the fair market value, on the date of the assessment of such penalty, of the interest in agricultural land with respect to which such violation occurred.

(Pub. L. 95–460, §3, Oct. 14, 1978, 92 Stat. 1265.)

§3503. Investigative actions

The Secretary may take such actions as the Secretary considers necessary to monitor compliance with the provisions of this chapter and to determine whether the information contained in any report submitted under section 3501 of this title accurately and fully reveals the ownership interest of all foreign persons in any foreign person who is required to submit a report under such section.

(Pub. L. 95–460, §4, Oct. 14, 1978, 92 Stat. 1265.)

§3504. Repealed. Pub. L. 105–362, title I, §101(f), Nov. 10, 1998, 112 Stat. 3281

Section, Pub. L. 95–460, §5, Oct. 14, 1978, 92 Stat. 1265; Pub. L. 104–66, title I, §1012(g), Dec. 21, 1995, 109 Stat. 712, provided for reports to Congress and the President.

§3505. Reports to the States

Not later than 30 days after the end of each 6-month period beginning after the effective date of section 3501 of this title, the Secretary shall transmit to each State department of agriculture, or such other appropriate State agency as the Secretary considers advisable, a copy of each report which was submitted to the Secretary under section 3501 of this title during such 6-month period and which involved agricultural land located in such State.

(Pub. L. 95–460, §6, Oct. 14, 1978, 92 Stat. 1266.)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

For the effective date of section 3501 of this title, referred to in text, see section 10(b) of Pub. L. 95–460, set out as an Effective Date note under section 3501 of this title.

§3506. Public inspection

Any report submitted to the Secretary under section 3501 of this title shall be available for public inspection at the Department of Agriculture located in the District of Columbia not later than 10 days after the date on which such report is received by the Secretary.

(Pub. L. 95–460, §7, Oct. 14, 1978, 92 Stat. 1266.)

§3507. Regulations

Not later than 90 days after October 14, 1978, the Secretary shall prescribe regulations for purposes of carrying out the provisions of this chapter.

(Pub. L. 95–460, §8, Oct. 14, 1978, 92 Stat. 1266.)

§3508. Definitions

For purposes of this chapter—

(1) the term "agricultural land" means any land located in one or more States and used for agricultural, forestry, or timber production purposes as determined by the Secretary under regulations to be prescribed by the Secretary;

(2) the term "foreign government" means any government other than the Federal Government or any government of a State or a political subdivision of a State;

(3) the term "foreign person" means—

(A) any individual—

(i) who is not a citizen or national of the United States;

(ii) who is not a citizen of the Northern Mariana Islands or the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands; or

(iii) who is not lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence, or paroled into the United States, under the Immigration and Nationality Act [8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.];

(B) any person, other than an individual or a government, which is created or organized under the laws of a foreign government or which has its principal place of business located outside of all the States;

(C) any person, other than an individual or a government—

(i) which is created or organized under the laws of any State; and

(ii) in which, as determined by the Secretary under regulations which the Secretary shall prescribe, a significant interest or substantial control is directly or indirectly held—

(I) by any individual referred to in subparagraph (A);

(II) by any person referred to in subparagraph (B);

(III) by any foreign government; or

(IV) by any combination of such individuals, persons, or governments; and

(D) any foreign government;

(4) the term "person" includes any individual, corporation, company, association, firm, partnership, society, joint stock company, trust, estate, or any other legal entity;

(5) the term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Agriculture; and

(6) the term "State" means any of the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, or any other territory or possession of the United States.

(Pub. L. 95–460, §9, Oct. 14, 1978, 92 Stat. 1266.)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Immigration and Nationality Act, referred to in par. (3)(A)(iii), is act June 27, 1952, ch. 477, 66 Stat. 163, which is classified principally to chapter 12 (§1101 et seq.) of Title 8, Aliens and Nationality. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 1101 of Title 8 and Tables.

Executive Documents

Termination of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands

For termination of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, see note set out preceding section 1681 of Title 48, Territories and Insular Possessions.