Understanding AFIDA Compliance and Upcoming Legislative Change

Partners Jeff Hunter and Matthew Luzzader will conduct a virtual CLE with Lawline titled ​“Understanding AFIDA Compliance and Upcoming Legislative Change.” The US Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (AFIDA) requires foreign entities, and US entities with as little as 10% foreign ownership, to file a report with the USDA Farm Service Agency within 90 days of buying or leasing agricultural land. Many US companies that use agricultural land for non-ag purposes, such as renewable energy development and data center construction, are unaware of this requirement. In this webinar we will identify how AFIDA applies and who it impacts; review the filing requirements; examine how late- and non-filing penalties work under current law; analyze trends in AFIDA compliance; and give an overview of current legislative proposals to tighten restrictions, migrate to online filing, identify nonfilers for enforcement, impose new CFIUS requirements, and strengthen penalties for violators.