UPDATE: New Arkansas Law Prohibiting Contracts with China Is Progress, But Loopholes Need Closed

[Updated] On April 12, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law  HB 1789, a bill to prohibit contracts with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Introduced by Representative Mindy McAlindon and State Senator Gary Stubblefield, the bill demonstrates a commitment by Arkansas leaders to protect sensitive data from PRC intrusion and advances a growing trend of new state laws in 2023 (joining Idaho and South Dakota). However, one significant loophole presented during the legislative process renders the new law powerless and must be corrected when the state legislature reconvenes in 2024. When introducing the bill, Rep. Mindy McAlindon said “HB1789 is designed to protect Arkansas and Arkansans from the undue influence of the Communist Party of China. Arkansas has… Read More

State Policy Update: Ending Contracts with PRC-Owned Manufacturers

Six weeks after publishing our landmark report (“States of Denial vs. States of Momentum”), we return to provide good news: Already in 2023 two states have enacted laws to end contracts with Chinese government-owned companies and ten more have considered the same. In just the past few weeks, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem signed SB 189 on March 22 and Idaho Governor Brad Little signed HB 294 on April 3. Our state legislative update can be found here and details or our interactive state momentum map have been updated so that readers can learn more about each of the bills with links to their text, sponsors and status. We will closely follow the progress of six states that continue to… Read More