March 25, 2026
Mr. Ricketts introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
To amend the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 to require reports to contain geospatial data, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Property Location Oversight and Transparency Act of 2026
or the PLOT Act of 2026
.
Sec. 2. Geospatial data requirements
Section 2 of the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3501) is amended by adding at the end the following:
(g) Geospatial data collection
(1) In general
Any person that submits a report under this section shall include in the report geospatial data delineating the property boundaries of the applicable agricultural land.
(2) Format
The geospatial data required under paragraph (1) shall be submitted in an open-source format compatible with widely available geographic information system software, such as a quantum geographic information system or equivalent format, approved by the Secretary.
(3) Accessibility
(A) In general
The Secretary may make geospatial data submitted in reports under this section available to Federal, State, and local agencies and the public for purposes of oversight, transparency, and national security.
(B) National security applications
The Secretary, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of Defense, shall use geospatial data submitted in reports under this section to identify potential national security concerns relating to foreign ownership of agricultural land, including proximity to military installations, critical infrastructure, and sensitive environmental areas.
Sec. 3. Foreign adversaries
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall revise section 781.2 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations, to require that—
(1)
in the case of a person that submits a report under section 2 of the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3501) relating to a transaction involving a person associated with a foreign adversary (as defined in section 9 of the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3508))—
(A)
the percentage under subsection (k)(1) shall be 5 percent;
(B)
the percentage under subsection (k)(2) shall be 10 percent; and
(C)
the percentage under subsection (k)(3) shall be 20 percent; and
(2)
any person that submits a report under section 2 of the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3501) shall disclose any foreign adversary (as so defined), or any person affiliated with a foreign adversary, that holds an interest in that person that is 5 percent or greater.
Sec. 4. Investigative actions
Section 4 of the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of (7 U.S.C. 3503) is amended—
(1)
by striking the section designation and all that follows through The Secretary
and inserting the following:
4. Investigative actions
(a) In general
The Secretary; and
(2)
by adding at the end the following:
(b) Enforcement prioritization
The Secretary shall prioritize enforcement actions, including investigations, audits, compliance reviews, and penalties, for transactions involving foreign adversaries, with priority given to persons associated with the People's Republic of China.
(c) Referrals to CFIUS
The Secretary shall refer to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States any transaction that the Secretary determines may pose a national security risk.
Sec. 5. Definition of foreign adversary
Section 9 of the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3508) is amended—
(1)
by striking the section designation and all that follows through this Act—
in the matter preceding paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
9. Definitions
In this Act:;
(2)
in each of paragraphs (1) through (6)—
(A)
by striking the term
and inserting The term
; and
(B)
by inserting a paragraph heading, the text of which comprises the term defined in that paragraph;
(3)
in each of paragraphs (1) through (4), by striking the semicolon at the end of the paragraph and inserting a period;
(4)
in paragraph (5), by striking ; and
and inserting a period;
(5)
by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (6) as paragraphs (3) through (7), respectively; and
(6)
by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
(2) Foreign adversary
The term foreign adversary has the meaning given the term in section 791.2 of title 15, Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor regulation), including the entities described in section 791.4 of that title (or a successor regulation).
Sec. 6. Effective date
This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall take effect on the date that is 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act.