I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1615 

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to apply the ban 

on contributions and expenditures by foreign nationals under such Act 

to foreign-controlled, foreign-influenced, and foreign-owned domestic corporations, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 17, 2017 

Mr. RASKIN (for himself, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. BROWN of Maryland, Ms. CLARK

of Massachusetts, Mr. CLAY, Mr. COHEN, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. COOPER, 

Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. EVANS, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. 

MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, 

Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. JEFFRIES, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. KAPTUR, 

Mr. KIHUEN, Ms. LEE, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. MCNERNEY, Ms. NORTON, 

Mr. O’ROURKE, Mr. SARBANES, Mr. SOTO, and Mr. WELCH) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration 

A BILL 

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to 

apply the ban on contributions and expenditures by foreign nationals under such Act to foreign-controlled, foreign-influenced, and foreign-owned domestic corporations, 

and for other purposes. 

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


lotter on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 1615 IH

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Get Foreign Money 

3 Out of U.S. Elections Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. APPLICATION OF BAN ON CONTRIBUTIONS AND EX5 PENDITURES BY FOREIGN NATIONALS TO DO6 MESTIC CORPORATIONS THAT ARE FOREIGN7 CONTROLLED, FOREIGN-INFLUENCED, AND 

8 FOREIGN-OWNED. 

9 (a) APPLICATION OF BAN.—Section 319(b) of the 

10 Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 

11 30121(b)) is amended— 

12 (1) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of paragraph 

13 (1); 

14 (2) by striking the period at the end of para15 graph (2) and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

16 (3) by adding at the end the following new 

17 paragraph: 

18 ‘‘(3) any corporation which is not a foreign na19 tional described in paragraph (1) and— 

20 ‘‘(A) in which a foreign national described 

21 in paragraph (1) or (2) directly or indirectly 

22 owns or controls— 

23 ‘‘(i) 5 percent or more of the voting 

24 shares, if the foreign national is a foreign 

25 country, a foreign government official, or a 

26 corporation principally owned or controlled 


lotter on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 1615 IH

1 by a foreign country or foreign government 

2 official; or 

3 ‘‘(ii) 20 percent or more of the voting 

4 shares, if the foreign national is not de5 scribed in clause (i); 

6 ‘‘(B) in which two or more foreign nation7 als described in paragraph (1) or (2), each of 

8 whom owns or controls at least 5 percent of the 

9 voting shares, directly or indirectly own or con10 trol 50 percent or more of the voting shares; 

11 ‘‘(C) over which one or more foreign na12 tionals described in paragraph (1) or (2) has 

13 the power to direct, dictate, or control the deci14 sionmaking process of the corporation with re15 spect to its interests in the United States; or 

16 ‘‘(D) over which one or more foreign na17 tionals described in paragraph (1) or (2) has 

18 the power to direct, dictate, or control the deci19 sionmaking process of the corporation with re20 spect to activities in connection with a Federal, 

21 State, or local election, including— 

22 ‘‘(i) the making of a contribution, do23 nation, expenditure, independent expendi24 ture, or disbursement for an electioneering 


lotter on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 1615 IH

1 communication (within the meaning of sec2 tion 304(f)(3)); or 

3 ‘‘(ii) the administration of a political 

4 committee established or maintained by the 

5 corporation.’’. 

6 (b) CERTIFICATION OF COMPLIANCE.—Section 319 

7 of such Act (52 U.S.C. 30121) is amended by adding at 

8 the end the following new subsection: 

9 ‘‘(c) CERTIFICATION OF COMPLIANCE REQUIRED

10 PRIOR TO CARRYING OUT ACTIVITY.—Prior to the mak11 ing in connection with an election for Federal office of any 

12 contribution, donation, expenditure, independent expendi13 ture, or disbursement for an electioneering communication 

14 by a corporation during a year, the chief executive officer 

15 of the corporation (or, if the corporation does not have 

16 a chief executive officer, the highest ranking official of the 

17 corporation), shall file a certification with the Commission, 

18 under penalty of perjury, that the corporation is not pro19 hibited from carrying out such activity under subsection 

20 (b)(3), unless the chief executive officer has previously 

21 filed such a certification during the year.’’. 

22 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

23 this section shall take effect upon the expiration of the 

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

25 Act, and shall take effect without regard to whether or 


lotter on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 1615 IH

1 not the Federal Election Commission has promulgated 

2 regulations to carry out such amendments. 

3 SEC. 3. CLARIFICATION OF APPLICATION OF FOREIGN 

4 MONEY BAN TO CERTAIN DISBURSEMENTS 

5 AND ACTIVITIES. 

6 (a) APPLICATION TO DISBURSEMENTS TO SUPER

7 PACS.—Section 319(a)(1)(A) of the Federal Election 

8 Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30121(a)(1)(A)) is 

9 amended by striking the semicolon and inserting the fol10 lowing: ‘‘, including any disbursement to a political com11 mittee which accepts donations or contributions that do 

12 not comply with the limitations, prohibitions, and report13 ing requirements of this Act (or any disbursement to or 

14 on behalf of any account of a political committee which 

15 is established for the purpose of accepting such donations 

16 or contributions);’’. 

17 (b) CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH CORPORATE PACS

18 MAY MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS AND EXPENDITURES.—Sec19 tion 316(b) of such Act (52 U.S.C. 30118(b)) is amended 

20 by adding at the end the following new paragraph: 

21 ‘‘(8) A separate segregated fund established by a cor22 poration may not make a contribution or expenditure dur23 ing a year unless the year the fund has certified to the 

24 Commission the following during the year: 


lotter on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 1615 IH

1 ‘‘(A) Each individual who manages the fund, 

2 and who is responsible for exercising the decision3 making authority of the fund, is a citizen of the 

4 United States or is lawfully admitted for permanent 

5 residence in the United States. 

6 ‘‘(B) No foreign national under section 319 

7 participates in any way in the decisionmaking proc8 esses of the fund with regard to contributions or ex9 penditures under this Act. 

10 ‘‘(C) The fund does not solicit or accept rec11 ommendations from any foreign national under sec12 tion 319 with respect to the contributions or expend13 itures made by the fund. 

14 ‘‘(D) Any member of the board of directors of 

15 the corporation who is a foreign national under sec16 tion 319 abstains from voting on matters concerning 

17 the fund or its activities.’’. 

Æ 


lotter on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS