Johnette Cruz@thejohnettecruz
Governor ceremonially signs new law co-sponsored
by Rep. Ireland cracking down on foreign adversaries
STATEHOUSE (May 13, 2026) – The governor recently ceremonially signed into law legislation co-sponsored by State Rep. Andrew Ireland (R-Indianapolis) to help protect Indiana from foreign adversaries seeking to influence, infiltrate or exploit the state’s political, academic and economic institutions.
Ireland said Senate Enrolled Act 256 creates one of the strongest foreign-adversary transparency and accountability frameworks in the country by strengthening protections for Indiana land, securing taxpayer-funded institutions, safeguarding critical state technology contracts and blocking hostile actors from accessing state resources.
The U.S. Department of Commerce maintains a list of foreign adversaries that includes China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Cuba and Venezuela. SEA 256 expands Indiana’s existing restrictions on foreign adversaries acquiring agricultural land and further limits their ability to acquire or lease land in the state. The new law also prohibits affiliates of foreign terrorist organizations from accessing state resources, including funding, contracts, employment and tax benefits.
Ireland also successfully advanced an amendment to ensure local governments cannot keep sister-city or cooperative agreements with prohibited foreign actors. Under the new law, those agreements are void and unenforceable, closing a loophole that could have allowed existing relationships with foreign adversaries, including Communist Chinese sister-city arrangements like those seen in Fort Wayne, to remain in place.
The law also builds on recent oversight efforts led by Ireland involving Indiana University’s Muslim Philanthropy Initiative after reports raised concerns about the program’s work with a Turkish nonprofit later designated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury as a sham charity supporting Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. Ireland said the issue underscored the need to ensure taxpayer-backed institutions are not entangled with organizations tied to hostile foreign networks.
Learn more about SEA 256 by visiting iga.in.gov. @93wibc
