Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill on Tuesday tightening the rules for registration and reporting on the ownership of Iowa farmland by non-U.S. Citizens, foreign governments, and foreign companies.

Senate File 2204 will hold foreign governments and businesses to higher standards regarding the ownership of Iowa farmland. The legislation will strengthen registration and reporting requirements, as well as strengthen the penalties and enforcement.

The law states that those who own an interest in agricultural land in Iowa within or after Jan. 1, 1980, and are not United States citizens, must register the land with the secretary of state.

The bill allows the secretary of state to report violations to the attorney general if a foreign business, government, or nonresident ‘alien’ acquires or holds a title or interest in agricultural land in violation of the legislation or has failed to timely register or report.

The bill allows the attorney general to investigate if they believe an entity has broken the law.

In a news release, Reynolds said other states have looked to Iowa laws on foreign ownership of land when drafting their policies.

“Yet, in the decades since we first addressed this issue, adversaries like China have grown significantly more aggressive on the world stage, constantly looking for any opening to assert themselves at the expense of our country,” Reynolds said in a news release Tuesday. “One all-too-common weapon in this battle is the purchase of American farmland.”

Reynolds said Iowa’s fertile soil and production capacity have made the state a target for foreign ownership of land.

“Our farm families produce 10 percent of the nation’s food supply and Iowa ranks as America’s top producer of biofuels. That makes us a natural leader in the race to stave off the evolving threat to American agriculture,” said Reynolds in her press release. “When Iowa speaks, the country listens. And with this bill our message is unmistakable: American soil belongs in American hands.”