I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8553 

To amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 to establish a separate 

unit within the Department of Justice for the investigation and enforcement of such Act, to provide the Attorney General with the authority 

to impose civil money penalties for violations of such Act, and to require 

agents of foreign principals who are registered under such Act to disclose 

transactions involving things of financial value conferred on officeholders. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 23, 2024 

Ms. OMAR introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 

to establish a separate unit within the Department of 

Justice for the investigation and enforcement of such 

Act, to provide the Attorney General with the authority 

to impose civil money penalties for violations of such 

Act, and to require agents of foreign principals who 

are registered under such Act to disclose transactions 

involving things of financial value conferred on officeholders. 

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


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 8553 IH

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Protect Against Un3 lawful Lobbying (PAUL) Act of 2024’’. 

4 SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF FARA INVESTIGATION AND EN5 FORCEMENT UNIT WITHIN DEPARTMENT OF 

6 JUSTICE. 

7 Section 8 of the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 

8 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 618) is amended by adding 

9 at the end the following new subsection: 

10 ‘‘(i) DEDICATED ENFORCEMENT UNIT.— 

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

12 days after the date of enactment of this subsection, 

13 the Attorney General shall establish a unit within 

14 the counterespionage section of the National Secu15 rity Division of the Department of Justice with re16 sponsibility for the enforcement of this Act. 

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

18 subsection is authorized to— 

19 ‘‘(A) take appropriate legal action against 

20 individuals suspected of violating this Act; and 

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

22 the United States Attorney for the relevant ju23 risdiction. 

24 ‘‘(3) CONSULTATION.—In operating the unit es25 tablished under this subsection, the Attorney Gen26 eral shall, as appropriate, consult with the Director 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 8553 IH

1 of National Intelligence, the Secretary of Homeland 

2 Security, and the Secretary of State. 

3 ‘‘(4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

4 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

5 the activities of the unit established under this sub6 section $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2024 and each 

7 succeeding fiscal year.’’. 

8 SEC. 3. AUTHORITY TO IMPOSE CIVIL MONEY PENALTIES. 

9 (a) ESTABLISHING AUTHORITY.—Section 8 of the 

10 Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 

11 U.S.C. 618) is amended by inserting after subsection (c) 

12 the following new subsection: 

13 ‘‘(d) CIVIL MONEY PENALTIES.— 

14 ‘‘(1) REGISTRATION STATEMENTS.—Whoever 

15 fails to file timely or complete a registration state16 ment as provided under section 2(a) shall be subject 

17 to a civil money penalty of not more than $10,000 

18 per violation. 

19 ‘‘(2) SUPPLEMENTS.—Whoever fails to file 

20 timely or complete supplements as provided under 

21 section 2(b) shall be subject to a civil money penalty 

22 of not more than $1,000 per violation. 

23 ‘‘(3) OTHER VIOLATIONS.—Whoever knowingly 

24 fails to— 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 8553 IH

1 ‘‘(A) remedy a defective filing within 60 

2 days after notice of such defect by the Attorney 

3 General; or 

4 ‘‘(B) comply with any other provision of 

5 this Act, 

6 shall upon proof of such knowing violation by a pre7 ponderance of the evidence, be subject to a civil 

8 money penalty of not more than $200,000, depend9 ing on the extent and gravity of the violation. 

10 ‘‘(4) NO FINES PAID BY FOREIGN PRIN11 CIPALS.—A civil money penalty paid under para12 graph (1) may not be paid, directly or indirectly, by 

13 a foreign principal. 

14 ‘‘(5) USE OF FINES.—All civil money penalties 

15 collected under this subsection shall be used to de16 fray the cost of the enforcement unit established 

17 under subsection (i).’’. 

18 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

19 subsection (a) shall take effect on the date of the enact20 ment of this Act. 

21 SEC. 4. DISCLOSURE OF TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING 

22 THINGS OF FINANCIAL VALUE CONFERRED 

23 ON OFFICEHOLDERS. 

24 (a) REQUIRING AGENTS TO DISCLOSE KNOWN

25 TRANSACTIONS.— 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 8553 IH

1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 2(a) of the Foreign 

2 Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 

3 U.S.C. 612(a)) is amended— 

4 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (10) and 

5 (11) as paragraphs (11) and (12); and 

6 (B) by inserting after paragraph (9) the 

7 following new paragraph: 

8 ‘‘(10) To the extent that the registrant has 

9 knowledge of any transaction which occurred in the 

10 preceding 60 days and in which the foreign principal 

11 for whom the registrant is acting as an agent con12 ferred on a Federal or State officeholder any thing 

13 of financial value, including a gift, profit, salary, fa14 vorable regulatory treatment, or any other direct or 

15 indirect economic or financial benefit, a detailed 

16 statement describing each such transaction.’’. 

17 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 

18 by paragraph (1) shall apply with respect to state19 ments filed on or after the expiration of the 90-day 

20 period which begins on the date of the enactment of 

21 this Act. 

22 (b) SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE FOR CURRENT

23 REGISTRANTS.—Not later than the expiration of the 90- 

24 day period which begins on the date of the enactment of 

25 this Act, each registrant who (prior to the expiration of 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 8553 IH

1 such period) filed a registration statement with the Attor2 ney General under section 2(a) of the Foreign Agents Reg3 istration Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 612(a)) and 

4 who has knowledge of any transaction described in para5 graph (10) of section 2(a) of such Act (as added by sub6 section (a)(1)) which occurred at any time during which 

7 the registrant was an agent of the foreign principal in8 volved, shall file with the Attorney General a supplement 

9 to such statement under oath, on a form prescribed by 

10 the Attorney General, containing a detailed statement de11 scribing each such transaction. 

Æ 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS