Updated: In the days following the Arizona Senate Military Affairs, Public Safety, and Border Security (MAPS) Committee on policies to address threats posed by China, State Representative Lupe Diaz introduced the Protection Procurement Act (House Bill 2436) which will require agencies and vendors who are contracting with the State to disclose their purchases from hostile enemy nations such as China, North Korea and Iran. The bill further states “A covered company may not bid on, submit a proposal for or enter into a contract with a state agency or political subdivision of this for good or services.”
“This is the first step to put a moratorium on products or services from hostile countries if these products can be purchased from manufacturers in the United States. We need to stop these hostile nations from taking advantage of our international trade laws which enables them to get a foothold on our key infrastructure systems,” Rep. Diaz wrote in his bill in a legislative update.
The members of the Arizona Senate Military Affairs, Public Safety, and Border Security (MAPS) Committee are starting the 2024 session with a necessary focus on the economic and security threats China poses to Arizona and other states. The bipartisan makeup of lawmakers on the committee convened an esteemed set of experts, including China Tech Threat Principal Gen. Spider Marks, for a comprehensive to learn more about the nature of the threats and what they can do about it. You can view the full hearing here.
Mohrman shared with the committee members China Tech Threat’s Spring 2023 report on state spending on technology from companies owned or operated by the Chinese Government. The review showed Arizona purchased more than $7.3 million on technology from Lenovo which has been restricted by the federal government and America’s military or intelligence agencies for years due to connections with the Chinese government. The Arizona purchases include the Department of Education, the Department of Juvenile Corrections, and the Board of Fingerprinting which all hold extremely sensitive personal data.
The hearing concluded with commitment by lawmakers and hearing participants to quickly introduce several bills, including a bill to prohibit the use of taxpayer dollars to purchase banned technology from China.
China Tech Threat commends MAPS Committee Chairman David Gowan and Vice Chairman David Farnsworth, along with Committee Members Sonny Borrelli, Eva Burch, Eva Diaz, Rosanna Gabaldon and Wendy Rogers for recognizing the need to move on policies to mitigate Chine’s influence and intrusion. CTT was honored to speak before the committee alongside former National Security Director Brian Cavanaugh, Coalition for a Prosperous America Chairman Zach Mottl, and Kelley Currie, Founding Partner at Kilo-Alpha Strategies, who shared her expertise on the CCP’s Human Rights Abuses. China Tech Threat will be closely monitoring the policy developments in Arizona as the session moves forward.
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