I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9393 

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to treat certain 

foreign-owned corporations and business organizations as foreign nationals for purposes of the ban on campaign activity, to prohibit foreignaffiliated section 501(c)(4) organizations from making contributions to 

super PACs or disbursing funds for independent expenditures or electioneering communications, to amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act 

of 1938 to reform the procedures for the registration of agents of 

foreign principals under such Act, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AUGUST 20, 2024 

Ms. PORTER (for herself and Ms. NORTON) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition 

to the Committee on House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 

provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to 

treat certain foreign-owned corporations and business organizations as foreign nationals for purposes of the ban 

on campaign activity, to prohibit foreign-affiliated section 

501(c)(4) organizations from making contributions to 

super PACs or disbursing funds for independent expenditures or electioneering communications, to amend the 

Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 to reform the 

procedures for the registration of agents of foreign principals under such Act, and for other purposes. 


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1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Foreign Political Influence Elimination Act of 2024’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

TITLE I—RESTRICT FOREIGN AND DARK MONEY IN ELECTIONS 

Sec. 101. Treatment of certain foreign-owned corporations and associations as 

foreign nationals for purposes of ban on campaign activity. 

Sec. 102. Prohibiting foreign-affiliated section 501(c) organizations from making certain election-related disbursements. 

Sec. 103. Activities subject to ban. 

Sec. 104. Prohibiting acceptance of contributions from foreign agents. 

Sec. 105. Effective date. 

TITLE II—REFORM OF FOREIGN AGENTS REGISTRATION ACT OF 

1938 

Sec. 201. Repealing exemption from registration under Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 for persons filing disclosure reports under 

Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995. 

Sec. 202. Conditions for exemption for persons providing legal representation. 

Sec. 203. Treatment of informational materials. 

Sec. 204. Foreign agents registration civil enforcement. 

Sec. 205. Authorizing imposition and collection of registration fees. 

Sec. 206. Establishment of FARA investigation and enforcement unit within 

Department of Justice. 

Sec. 207. Comprehensive strategy to improve enforcement and administration. 

Sec. 208. Analysis by Government Accountability Office. 

Sec. 209. Definition. 

Sec. 210. Effective date. 


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1 TITLE I—RESTRICT FOREIGN 

2 AND DARK MONEY IN ELEC3 TIONS 

4 SEC. 101. TREATMENT OF CERTAIN FOREIGN-OWNED COR5 PORATIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS AS FOREIGN 

6 NATIONALS FOR PURPOSES OF BAN ON CAM7 PAIGN ACTIVITY. 

8 Section 319(b) of the Federal Election Campaign Act 

9 of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30121(b)) is amended to read as fol10 lows: 

11 ‘‘(b) DEFINITION.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—As used in this section, the 

13 term ‘foreign national’ means— 

14 ‘‘(A) an individual who is not a citizen of 

15 the United States or a national of the United 

16 States, as defined in section 101(a)(22) of the 

17 Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

18 1101(a)(22)), and who is not lawfully admitted 

19 for permanent residence, as defined by section 

20 101(a)(20) of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(20); 

21 ‘‘(B) a person outside of the United 

22 States, unless it is established that such person 

23 is an individual who is a citizen of the United 

24 States, or that such person is not an individual 

25 and is organized under or created by the laws 


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1 of the United States or of any State or other 

2 place subject to the jurisdiction of the United 

3 States and has its principal place of business 

4 within the United States; 

5 ‘‘(C) a government of a foreign country or 

6 an official of the government of a foreign coun7 try, as defined in section 1(e) of the Foreign 

8 Agents Registration Act of 1938 (22 U.S.C. 

9 611(e)), a foreign political party, as defined in 

10 section 1(f) of such Act (22 U.S.C. 611(f)), or 

11 a corporation principally owned or controlled by 

12 the government of a foreign country or an offi13 cial of the government of a foreign country, in14 cluding a separate segregated fund of such a 

15 corporation under section 316; 

16 ‘‘(D) a corporation (other than a corpora17 tion described in subparagraph (C)), partner18 ship, association, organization, or other com19 bination of persons organized under the laws of 

20 or having its principal place of business in a 

21 foreign country, including a separate segregated 

22 fund of such a corporation under section 316; 

23 ‘‘(E) a corporation, partnership, associa24 tion, or other business organization or entity in 

25 which one or more foreign nationals described 


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1 in subparagraph (C) holds, owns, controls, or 

2 otherwise has directly or indirectly acquired 

3 beneficial ownership of equity or voting shares 

4 in an aggregate amount equal to or greater 

5 than 5 percent of total equity or outstanding 

6 voting shares (as determined by excluding any 

7 equity or shares owned by a mutual fund), in8 cluding a separate segregated fund of such a 

9 corporation under section 316; or 

10 ‘‘(F) a corporation, partnership, associa11 tion, or other business organization or entity in 

12 which one or more foreign nationals (other than 

13 those described in subparagraph (C)) holds, 

14 owns, controls, or otherwise has directly or indi15 rectly acquired beneficial ownership of equity or 

16 voting shares in an aggregate amount equal to 

17 or greater than 20 percent of total equity or 

18 outstanding voting shares (as determined by ex19 cluding any equity or shares owned by a mutual 

20 fund), including a separate segregated fund of 

21 such a corporation. 

22 ‘‘(2) USE OF QUARTERLY SEC REPORTS.—In 

23 the case of a corporation or other entity which is re24 quired to file quarterly reports with the Securities 

25 and Exchange Commission under section 13 of the 


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1 Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78m), 

2 the determination as to whether a corporation or en3 tity is described in subparagraph (D), (E), or (F) 

4 shall be based on the most recent such report.’’. 

5 SEC. 102. PROHIBITING FOREIGN-AFFILIATED SECTION 

6 501(c) ORGANIZATIONS FROM MAKING CER7 TAIN ELECTION-RELATED DISBURSEMENTS. 

8 Title III of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 

9 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30101 et seq.) is amended by adding at 

10 the end the following new section: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 325. PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN ELECTION-RELATED 

12 DISBURSEMENTS BY FOREIGN-AFFILIATED 

13 SECTION 501(c) ORGANIZATIONS. 

14 ‘‘(a) PROHIBITION.—It is unlawful for a foreign-af15 filiated section 501(c) organization to make an election16 related disbursement described in subsection (b). 

17 ‘‘(b) ELECTION-RELATED DISBURSEMENT DE18 SCRIBED.—An election-related disbursement described in 

19 this subsection is any of the following: 

20 ‘‘(1) A contribution to a super PAC. 

21 ‘‘(2) An independent expenditure. 

22 ‘‘(3) The disbursement of funds for the dissemi23 nation of an electioneering communication. 

24 ‘‘(4) A covered transfer. 


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1 ‘‘(c) DEFINITION OF FOREIGN-AFFILIATED SECTION

2 501(c) ORGANIZATION.—In this section, a ‘foreign-affili3 ated section 501(c) organization’ is a section 501(c) orga4 nization with respect to which— 

5 ‘‘(1) the amount of contributions provided to 

6 the organization by foreign nationals described in 

7 subparagraph (C) of section 319(b)(1) was equal to 

8 or greater than 5 percent of the gross receipts of the 

9 organization, as determined on the basis of the most 

10 recent taxable year for which information on the 

11 gross receipts of the organization is available or, in 

12 the case of an organization which is required to file 

13 quarterly reports with the Securities and Exchange 

14 Commission under section 13 of the Securities Ex15 change Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78m), the most re16 cent such report, or 

17 ‘‘(2) the amount of contributions provided to 

18 the organization by all foreign nationals described in 

19 section 319(b) was equal to or greater than 20 per20 cent of the gross receipts of the organization, as de21 termined on the basis of the most recent taxable 

22 year for which information on the gross receipts of 

23 the organization is available or, in the case of an or24 ganization which is required to file quarterly reports 

25 with the Securities and Exchange Commission under 


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1 section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 

2 (15 U.S.C. 78m), the most recent such report. 

3 ‘‘(d) DEFINITION OF COVERED TRANSFER.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In this section, the term 

5 ‘covered transfer’ means any transfer or payment of 

6 funds by a foreign-affiliated section 501(c) organiza7 tion to another person if the foreign-affiliated sec8 tion 501(c) organization— 

9 ‘‘(A) designates, requests, or suggests that 

10 the amounts be used for— 

11 ‘‘(i) election-related disbursements 

12 (other than covered transfers); or 

13 ‘‘(ii) making a transfer to another 

14 person for the purpose of making or pay15 ing for such election-related disbursements; 

16 ‘‘(B) made such transfer or payment in re17 sponse to a solicitation or other request for a 

18 donation or payment for— 

19 ‘‘(i) the making of or paying for elec20 tion-related disbursements (other than cov21 ered transfers); or 

22 ‘‘(ii) making a transfer to another 

23 person for the purpose of making or pay24 ing for such election-related disbursements; 


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1 ‘‘(C) engaged in discussions with the re2 cipient of the transfer or payment regarding— 

3 ‘‘(i) the making of or paying for elec4 tion-related disbursements (other than cov5 ered transfers); or 

6 ‘‘(ii) donating or transferring any 

7 amount of such transfer or payment to an8 other person for the purpose of making or 

9 paying for such election-related disburse10 ments; or 

11 ‘‘(D) knew or had reason to know that the 

12 person receiving the transfer or payment would 

13 make election-related disbursements in an ag14 gregate amount of $123,900 or more during the 

15 2-year period beginning on the date of the 

16 transfer or payment. 

17 ‘‘(2) EXCLUSIONS.—The term ‘covered transfer’ 

18 does not include any of the following: 

19 ‘‘(A) A disbursement made by a foreign-af20 filiated section 501(c) organization in a com21 mercial transaction in the ordinary course of 

22 any trade or business conducted by the organi23 zation or in the form of investments made by 

24 the organization. 


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1 ‘‘(B) A disbursement made by a foreign-af2 filiated section 501(c) organization if— 

3 ‘‘(i) the organization prohibited, in 

4 writing, the use of such disbursement for 

5 election-related disbursements; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) the recipient of the disbursement 

7 agreed to follow the prohibition and depos8 ited the disbursement in an account which 

9 is segregated from an election-related dis10 bursement segregated fund and any other 

11 account used to make election-related dis12 bursements. 

13 ‘‘(3) SPECIAL RULE REGARDING TRANSFERS

14 AMONG AFFILIATES.— 

15 ‘‘(A) SPECIAL RULE.—A transfer of an 

16 amount by one foreign-affiliated section 501(c) 

17 organization to another foreign-affiliated section 

18 501(c) organization which is treated as a trans19 fer between affiliates under subparagraph (C) 

20 shall be considered a covered transfer by the or21 ganization which transfers the amount only if 

22 the aggregate amount transferred during the 

23 year by such organization to that same organi24 zation is equal to or greater than $123,900. 


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1 ‘‘(B) DETERMINATION OF AMOUNT OF

2 CERTAIN PAYMENTS AMONG AFFILIATES.—In 

3 determining the amount of a transfer between 

4 affiliates for purposes of subparagraph (A), to 

5 the extent that the transfer consists of funds 

6 attributable to dues, fees, or assessments which 

7 are paid by individuals on a regular, periodic 

8 basis in accordance with a per-individual cal9 culation which is made on a regular basis, the 

10 transfer shall be attributed to the individuals 

11 paying the dues, fees, or assessments and shall 

12 not be attributed to the foreign-affiliated sec13 tion 501(c) organization. 

14 ‘‘(C) DESCRIPTION OF TRANSFERS BE15 TWEEN AFFILIATES.—A transfer of amounts 

16 from one foreign-affiliated section 501(c) orga17 nization to another foreign-affiliated section 

18 501(c) organization shall be treated as a trans19 fer between affiliates if— 

20 ‘‘(i) one of the organizations is an af21 filiate of the other organization; or 

22 ‘‘(ii) each of the organizations is an 

23 affiliate of the same organization, 

24 except that the transfer shall not be treated as 

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1 nizations is established for the purpose of mak2 ing election-related disbursements. 

3 ‘‘(D) DETERMINATION OF AFFILIATE STA4 TUS.—For purposes of subparagraph (C), a for5 eign-affiliated section 501(c) organization is an 

6 affiliate of another foreign-affiliated section 

7 501(c) organization if— 

8 ‘‘(i) the governing instrument of the 

9 organization requires it to be bound by de10 cisions of the other organization; 

11 ‘‘(ii) the governing board of the orga12 nization includes persons who are specifi13 cally designated representatives of the 

14 other organization or are members of the 

15 governing board, officers, or paid executive 

16 staff members of the other organization, or 

17 whose service on the governing board is 

18 contingent upon the approval of the other 

19 organization; or 

20 ‘‘(iii) the organization is chartered by 

21 the other organization. 

22 ‘‘(e) OTHER DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

23 ‘‘(1) the term ‘electioneering communication’ 

24 has the meaning given such term in section 

25 304(f)(3); 


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1 ‘‘(2) the term ‘section 501(c) organization’ 

2 means an organization described in section 501(c) of 

3 the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from 

4 taxation under section 501(a) of such Code; and 

5 ‘‘(3) term ‘super PAC’ means a political com6 mittee which accepts donations or contributions that 

7 do not comply with the limitations and prohibitions 

8 of this Act (or has an account which is established 

9 for the purpose of accepting such donations or con10 tributions) and which makes only independent ex11 penditures (or has an account which is established 

12 for the purpose of making only independent expendi13 tures).’’. 

14 SEC. 103. ACTIVITIES SUBJECT TO BAN. 

15 (a) CONTRIBUTIONS AND DONATIONS IN CONNEC16 TION WITH BALLOT INITIATIVES AND REFERENDA AND

17 RECALL ELECTIONS.—Section 319(a)(1)(A) of the Fed18 eral Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 

19 30121(a)(1)(A)) is amended by striking ‘‘election;’’ and 

20 inserting the following: ‘‘election, including a State or local 

21 ballot initiative or referendum or recall election;’’. 

22 (b) COVERAGE OF CERTAIN ELECTION-RELATED AC23 TIVITIES.—Section 319 of such Act (52 U.S.C. 30121) is 

24 amended by adding at the end the following new sub25 section: 


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1 ‘‘(c) A foreign national shall not direct, dictate, con2 trol, or directly or indirectly participate in the decision3 making process of any person, such as a corporation, labor 

4 organization, political committee, or political organization 

5 with regard to such person’s Federal or non-Federal elec6 tion-related activities, such as decisions concerning the 

7 making of contributions, donations, expenditures, or dis8 bursements in connection with elections for any Federal, 

9 State, or local office, including a State or local ballot ini10 tiative or referendum or recall election, or decisions con11 cerning the administration of a political committee.’’. 

12 SEC. 104. PROHIBITING ACCEPTANCE OF CONTRIBUTIONS 

13 FROM FOREIGN AGENTS. 

14 Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act 

15 of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30116) is amended by adding at the 

16 end the following new subsection: 

17 ‘‘(k) PROHIBITING ACCEPTANCE OF CONTRIBUTIONS

18 FROM FOREIGN AGENTS.— 

19 ‘‘(1) DIRECT CONTRIBUTIONS.—A political 

20 committee may not accept any contribution from an 

21 individual who, at the time the date the individual 

22 makes the contribution, is registered as the agent of 

23 a foreign principal under the Foreign Agents Reg24 istration Act of 1938 (22 U.S.C. 611 et seq.). 

25 ‘‘(2) BUNDLED CONTRIBUTIONS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) PROHIBITION.—A political committee 

2 may not accept any bundled contribution which 

3 is provided by an individual who, at the time 

4 the individual provides the bundled contribu5 tion, is registered as the agent of a foreign 

6 principal under the Foreign Agents Registration 

7 Act of 1938 (22 U.S.C. 611 et seq.). 

8 ‘‘(B) DEFINITION.—In this paragraph, the 

9 term ‘bundled contribution’ means, with respect 

10 to an individual described in subparagraph (A), 

11 a contribution which is— 

12 ‘‘(i) forwarded from the contributor or 

13 contributors to the committee by the indi14 vidual; or 

15 ‘‘(ii) received by the committee from a 

16 contributor or contributors, but credited by 

17 the committee or candidate involved (or, in 

18 the case of a leadership PAC described in 

19 subparagraph (B) of subsection (j)(8), by 

20 the individual referred to in such subpara21 graph) to the individual through records, 

22 designations, or other means of recognizing 

23 that a certain amount of money has been 

24 raised by the individual.’’. 


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1 SEC. 105. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

2 The amendments made by this title shall apply with 

3 respect to elections occurring after January 2025. 

4 TITLE II—REFORM OF FOREIGN 

5 AGENTS REGISTRATION ACT 

6 OF 1938 

7 SEC. 201. REPEALING EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION 

8 UNDER FOREIGN AGENTS REGISTRATION 

9 ACT OF 1938 FOR PERSONS FILING DISCLO10 SURE REPORTS UNDER LOBBYING DISCLO11 SURE ACT OF 1995. 

12 (a) REPEAL OF EXEMPTION.—Section 3 of the For13 eign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (22 U.S.C. 613) is 

14 amended by striking subsection (h). 

15 (b) TIMING OF FILING OF REGISTRATION STATE16 MENTS.—Section 2 of the Foreign Agents Registration 

17 Act of 1938 (22 U.S.C. 612) is amended— 

18 (1) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding 

19 paragraph (1), in the fourth sentence, by striking 

20 ‘‘The registration statement shall include’’ and in21 serting ‘‘Except as provided in subsection (h), the 

22 registration statement shall include’’; and 

23 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

24 ‘‘(h) TIMING FOR FILING OF STATEMENTS BY PER25 SONS REGISTERED UNDER LOBBYING DISCLOSURE ACT

26 OF 1995.—In the case of an agent of a person or an entity 


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1 described in section 1(b) who has registered under the 

2 Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), 

3 after the agent files the first registration required under 

4 subsection (a) in connection with the agent’s representa5 tion of such person or entity, the agent shall file all subse6 quent statements required under this section at the same 

7 time, and in the same frequency, as the reports filed with 

8 the Clerk of the House of Representatives or the Secretary 

9 of the Senate (as the case may be) under section 5 of the 

10 Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1604) in con11 nection with the agent’s representation of such person or 

12 entity.’’. 

13 SEC. 202. CONDITIONS FOR EXEMPTION FOR PERSONS 

14 PROVIDING LEGAL REPRESENTATION. 

15 Section 3(g) of the Foreign Agents Registration Act 

16 of 1938 (22 U.S.C. 613(g)) is amended by adding at the 

17 end the following: ‘‘A person may be exempt under this 

18 subsection only if the person files with the Attorney Gen19 eral a request for such exemption and the Attorney Gen20 eral approves the request.’’. 

21 SEC. 203. TREATMENT OF INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS. 

22 (a) DEFINITION.—Section 1 of the Foreign Agents 

23 Registration Act of 1938 (22 U.S.C. 611) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (c), in the matter preceding 

2 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Expect’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘Except’’; and 

4 (2) by inserting after subsection (i) the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(j) The term ‘informational materials’ means any 

7 oral, visual, graphic, written, or pictorial information or 

8 matter of any kind, including matter published by means 

9 of advertising, books, periodicals, newspapers, lectures, 

10 broadcasts, motion pictures, social media, or any means 

11 or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce or 

12 otherwise.’’. 

13 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT RELATING TO FILING

14 OF INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS WITH ATTORNEY GEN15 ERAL.—Section 4(a) of such Act (22 U.S.C. 614(a)) is 

16 amended by striking ‘‘or foreign commerce’’ and inserting 

17 ‘‘or foreign commerce, including electronic mail and social 

18 media,’’. 

19 (c) WAIVER OF FILING REQUIREMENT FOR UNRE20 LATED MATERIALS.—Section 4(a) of such Act (22 U.S.C. 

21 614(a)) is amended— 

22 (1) by striking ‘‘Every person’’ and inserting 

23 ‘‘(1) Every person’’; and 

24 (2) by adding at the end the following new 

25 paragraph: 


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1 ‘‘(2) Paragraph (1) does not apply with respect to 

2 any informational material which is disseminated by an 

3 agent of a foreign principal as part of an activity that is 

4 exempt from registration under this Act, or as part of an 

5 activity which by itself would not require registration 

6 under this Act.’’. 

7 (d) METHOD AND FORM OF DISCLAIMER FOR MATE8 RIALS POSTED ONLINE.—Section 4(b) of such Act (22 

9 U.S.C. 614(b)) is amended— 

10 (1) by striking ‘‘(b) It shall be unlawful’’ and 

11 inserting ‘‘(b)(1) It shall be unlawful’’; and 

12 (2) by adding at the end the following new 

13 paragraph: 

14 ‘‘(2) In the case of informational materials for or in 

15 the interests of a foreign principal which are transmitted 

16 or caused to be transmitted by an agent of a foreign prin17 cipal by posting on an online platform, the agent shall en18 sure that the conspicuous statement required to be placed 

19 in such materials under this subsection is placed directly 

20 with the material posted on the platform and is not acces21 sible only through a hyperlink or other reference to an22 other source. 

23 ‘‘(3) If the Attorney General determines that the ap24 plication of paragraph (2) to materials posted on an online 

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1 spicuous statement required to be placed in materials 

2 under this subsection makes the inclusion of the entire 

3 statement incompatible with the posting of the materials 

4 on that platform, an agent may meet the requirements of 

5 paragraph (2) by ensuring that an abbreviated version of 

6 the statement, stating that the materials are distributed 

7 by a foreign agent on behalf of a clearly identified foreign 

8 principal, is placed directly with the material posted on 

9 the platform. 

10 ‘‘(4)(A) For purposes of this subsection, subject to 

11 subparagraph (B), the term ‘online platform’ means any 

12 public-facing website, web application, or digital applica13 tion (including a social network, ad network, or search en14 gine) which— 

15 ‘‘(i)(I) sells qualified political advertisements; 

16 and 

17 ‘‘(II) has 50,000,000 or more unique monthly 

18 United States visitors or users for a majority of 

19 months during the preceding 12 months; or 

20 ‘‘(ii) is a third-party advertising vendor that 

21 has 50,000,000 or more unique monthly United 

22 States visitors in the aggregate on any advertise23 ment space that it has sold or bought for a majority 

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1 credited by the Media Ratings Council (or its suc2 cessor). 

3 ‘‘(B) Such term shall not include any online platform 

4 that is a distribution facility of any broadcasting station 

5 or newspaper, magazine, blog, publication, or periodical. 

6 ‘‘(C) For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘third7 party advertising vendor’ includes any third-party adver8 tising vendor network, advertising agency, advertiser, or 

9 third-party advertisement serving company that buys and 

10 sells advertisement space on behalf of unaffiliated third11 party websites, search engines, digital applications, or so12 cial media sites.’’. 

13 SEC. 204. FOREIGN AGENTS REGISTRATION CIVIL EN14 FORCEMENT. 

15 Section 8 of the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 

16 1938 (22 U.S.C. 618) is amended by adding at the end 

17 the following: 

18 ‘‘(i) CIVIL ENFORCEMENT.— 

19 ‘‘(1) CIVIL PENALTIES.— 

20 ‘‘(A) REGISTRATION STATEMENTS.— 

21 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Any person who is 

22 required to register under this Act and 

23 fails to file a timely or complete registra24 tion statement required under section 2(a) 

25 shall be subject to a civil fine of not more 


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1 than $10,000 for each violation, without 

2 regard to the state of mind of the person. 

3 ‘‘(ii) NO FINES PAID BY FOREIGN

4 PRINCIPALS.—If a person is subject to a 

5 civil fine under clause (i), the civil fine 

6 may not be paid, directly or indirectly, by 

7 a foreign principal. 

8 ‘‘(B) SUPPLEMENTS.—Any person who is 

9 required to file a supplement to a registration 

10 statement under section 2(b) and fails to file a 

11 timely or complete supplement required under 

12 that section shall be subject to a civil fine of 

13 not more than $1,000 for each violation, with14 out regard to the state of mind of the person. 

15 ‘‘(C) FAILURE TO REMEDY DEFICIENT FIL16 INGS.—Any person who is required to file a reg17 istration statement under this Act, receives no18 tice under subsection (g) that the registration 

19 statement filed by the person is deficient, and 

20 knowingly fails to remedy the deficiency within 

21 60 days after receiving the notice shall, upon 

22 proof by a preponderance of the evidence of 

23 such knowing failure to remedy the deficiency, 

24 be subject to a civil fine of not more than 


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1 $200,000, depending on the extent and gravity 

2 of the violation. 

3 ‘‘(D) OTHER VIOLATIONS.—Any person 

4 who knowingly fails to comply with any other 

5 provision of this Act shall, upon proof by a pre6 ponderance of the evidence of such knowing 

7 failure to comply, be subject to a civil fine of 

8 not more than $200,000, depending on the ex9 tent and gravity of the violation. 

10 ‘‘(2) USE OF FINES.—All fines collected under 

11 this subsection shall be used to defray the cost of 

12 enforcing this Act.’’. 

13 SEC. 205. AUTHORIZING IMPOSITION AND COLLECTION OF 

14 REGISTRATION FEES. 

15 (a) AUTHORIZATION.—The Foreign Agents Registra16 tion Act of 1938 (22 U.S.C. 611 et seq.), as amended by 

17 section 205, is further amended by adding at the end the 

18 following new section: 

19 ‘‘SEC. 16. FEES. 

20 ‘‘The Attorney General shall establish and collect a 

21 registration fee, as part of the initial filing requirement 

22 and at no other time, to help defray the expenses of the 

23 Registration Unit, and shall credit such fees to this appro24 priation, to remain available until expended.’’. 


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1 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT TO REPEAL EXIST2 ING AUTHORITY.—The Department of Justice and Re3 lated Agencies Appropriations Act, 1993 (title I of Public 

4 Law 102–395) is amended, under the heading ‘‘SALARIES

5 AND EXPENSES, GENERAL LEGAL ACTIVITIES’’, by striking 

6 ‘‘In addition, notwithstanding 31 U.S.C. 3302, for fiscal 

7 year 1993 and thereafter, the Attorney General shall es8 tablish and collect fees to recover necessary expenses of 

9 the Registration Unit (to include salaries, supplies, equip10 ment and training) pursuant to the Foreign Agents Reg11 istration Act, and shall credit such fees to this appropria12 tion, to remain available until expended.’’. 

13 SEC. 206. ESTABLISHMENT OF FARA INVESTIGATION AND 

14 ENFORCEMENT UNIT WITHIN DEPARTMENT 

15 OF JUSTICE. 

16 Section 8 of the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 

17 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 618), as amended by section 

18 206, is further amended by adding at the end the following 

19 new subsection: 

20 ‘‘(j) DEDICATED ENFORCEMENT UNIT.— 

21 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 

22 days after the date of enactment of this subsection, 

23 the Attorney General shall establish a unit within 

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1 rity Division of the Department of Justice with re2 sponsibility for the enforcement of this Act. 

3 ‘‘(2) POWERS.—The unit established under this 

4 subsection is authorized to— 

5 ‘‘(A) take appropriate legal action against 

6 individuals suspected of violating this Act; and 

7 ‘‘(B) coordinate any such legal action with 

8 the United States Attorney for the relevant ju9 risdiction. 

10 ‘‘(3) CONSULTATION.—In operating the unit es11 tablished under this subsection, the Attorney Gen12 eral shall, as appropriate, consult with the Director 

13 of National Intelligence, the Secretary of Homeland 

14 Security, and the Secretary of State. 

15 ‘‘(4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

16 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

17 the activities of the unit established under this sub18 section $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2024 and each 

19 succeeding fiscal year.’’. 

20 SEC. 207. COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY TO IMPROVE EN21 FORCEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION. 

22 (a) IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGY.—Not later 

23 than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

24 the Attorney General shall promulgate final regulations 

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1 prove the enforcement and administration of the Foreign 

2 Agents Registration Act of 1938 (22 U.S.C. 611 et seq.) 

3 that addresses the following issues: 

4 (1) The coordination and integration of the 

5 work of the agencies that perform investigations of 

6 alleged violations of the Act and bring actions (in7 cluding criminal prosecutions) to enforce the Act 

8 with the overall national security efforts of the De9 partment of Justice. 

10 (2) An assessment of the appropriateness of the 

11 exemptions provided under the Act that permit per12 sons who represent the interests of foreign principals 

13 to avoid registering under the Act. 

14 (3) A formal cost-benefit analysis of the appro15 priateness of the fee structure under the Act. 

16 (4) An assessment of the value of making advi17 sory opinions under the Act available in whole as an 

18 informational resource. 

19 (b) REVIEW BY INSPECTOR GENERAL.— 

20 (1) REVIEW.—The Inspector General of the De21 partment of Justice shall carry out a review of the 

22 extent to which the Attorney General has imple23 mented the comprehensive strategy described in sub24 section (a). 


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1 (2) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—The Inspector 

2 General of the Department of Justice shall submit 

3 a report to the appropriate committees of Congress 

4 on the results of the review carried out under para5 graph (1) not later than 1 year after the date upon 

6 which the comprehensive strategy described in sub7 section (a) is implemented by the Attorney General. 

8 (c) ENSURING ELECTRONIC ACCESS TO REPORTS

9 THROUGH SEARCHABLE WEBSITE.— 

10 (1) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—The Attorney 

11 General, in consultation with the Assistant Attorney 

12 General for National Security, shall include in the 

13 second annual report submitted to the appropriate 

14 committees of Congress under subsection (c) a de15 tailed description of methods to ensure that reports 

16 filed under the Foreign Agents Registration Act are 

17 filed electronically in a digitized format which will 

18 enable the Foreign Agents Registration Unit website 

19 database to be fully searchable, machine-readable, 

20 sortable, and downloadable. 

21 (2) IMPLEMENTATION.—After submitting the 

22 report containing the information described in para23 graph (1), the Attorney General shall implement the 

24 methods described in the report. 


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1 SEC. 208. ANALYSIS BY GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY 

2 OFFICE. 

3 Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment 

4 of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 

5 shall— 

6 (1) carry out an analysis of the effectiveness of 

7 the enforcement and administration of the Foreign 

8 Agents Registration Act of 1938 (22 U.S.C. 611 et 

9 seq.), including the extent to which the amendments 

10 made by this title have improved the enforcement 

11 and administration of such Act, and taking into ac12 count the comprehensive strategy developed and im13 plemented under section 207; and 

14 (2) submit the analysis to the Attorney General, 

15 the Inspector General of the Department of Justice, 

16 and the appropriate committees of Congress. 

17 SEC. 209. DEFINITION. 

18 In this title, the term ‘‘appropriate committees of 

19 Congress’’ means— 

20 (1) the Committees on the Judiciary and For21 eign Relations of the Senate; and 

22 (2) the Committee on the Judiciary of the 

23 House of Representatives. 


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1 SEC. 210. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

2 The amendments made by this title shall take effect 

3 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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