Utah House lawmakers presented legislation aimed at preventing foreign entities from interfering with military operations in the state during a national security press conference at the Capitol Building on Monday.
State House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, was joined by the bill’s sponsors and former national security adviser Robert O’Brien in the Gold Room, where the all-Republican delegation described its efforts to preempt espionage and influence campaigns from China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.
“This is an important issue, not only to the state of Utah, but to our national security as a whole,” Schultz told the group of a few dozen lawmakers and reporters.
The House and Senate Republican caucuses, Schultz said, received a briefing from the Utah National Guard during the summer of 2023 on the potential threats posed by unfriendly governments setting up shop in the state through land buys and technology sales.
“I think that scared us all a little bit,” Schultz said. “And so we’re all trying to do all we can to take action and make sure that we’re not just doing all we can to protect our nation, but more specifically here in Utah.”