Speaker Pro Tem Rachelle Smit on Tuesday spearheaded the passage of her plan to prevent foreign entities of concern from collecting sensitive information by blocking certain foreign-owned apps on government devices. The bill is part of a larger effort to end foreign influence in Michigan. The plan passed the House with bipartisan support.

“Our enemies abroad are doing everything they can to infiltrate our country and do harm to our residents,” said Smit, R-Martin. “Allowing apps operated by our biggest foreign threats on government devices gives bad actors a free pass to access our government systems, sensitive data, and national security information. We must slam the door in their face and show that Michigan has no tolerance for foreign meddling. The passage of our plan to limit foreign influence in Michigan shows that we’re not going to sit idly by while bad actors threaten our residents.”

Smit’s legislation, House Bill 4235, would create the Prohibited Applications on Government-Issued Devices Act to prohibit the downloading and accessing of applications created or owned by foreign principals from foreign countries of concern on government-issued devices. Foreign countries of concern include China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, and any other entity under significant control of the listed countries.

Other bills in the package would:

• Ensure public schools, colleges, and universities do not accept grants conditioned upon an anti-American agenda from foreign countries of concern.
• Prohibit public bodies from entering into constraining agreements with foreign countries of concern.
• Ensure public economic incentives are not awarded to foreign entities of concern.
• Protect the personal health information of Michigan residents by ensuring healthcare record technology is physically maintained in the U.S. or Canada.
• Protect the safety of Michiganders by preventing entities of concern from purchasing land near and surveilling military bases and other critical infrastructure.

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