A new bill in Hawaii aims to ban foreigners from purchasing land in the Aloha State.
State Sen. Brenton Awa, who introduced the bill , says it could address concerns about the ongoing housing crisis in the state.
“During the pandemic, right before I got into office here, we saw the home prices jump up $400,000 within a year, and that was because people outside were coming in,” Awa told local news outlet KHON-TV . “When they’re coming in with cash and our salaries over here are less than those of the people who are ready to retire, we can’t compete.”
The legislation reads: “At the time of purchase, a buyer of real property or an interest in real property shall provide an affidavit signed under penalty of perjury attesting that the buyer is not a foreign principal.” The legislation defines a “foreign principal” in part as “any person who is domiciled in a foreign country and is not a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States.”
