I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6996 

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require broadcasting 

stations, providers of cable and satellite television, and online platforms 

to make reasonable efforts to ensure that political advertisements are 

not purchased by a foreign national. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 16, 2024 

Mr. GOLDEN of Maine (for himself and Mr. FITZPATRICK) 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 

require broadcasting stations, providers of cable and satellite television, and online platforms to make reasonable 

efforts to ensure that political advertisements are not 

purchased by a foreign national. 

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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Block Foreign-Funded 

5 Political Ads Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PREVENTING CONTRIBUTIONS, EXPENDITURES, 

2 INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES, AND DIS3 BURSEMENTS FOR ELECTIONEERING COM4 MUNICATIONS BY FOREIGN NATIONALS IN 

5 THE FORM OF ONLINE ADVERTISING. 

6 Section 319 of the Federal Election Campaign Act 

7 of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30121) is amended by adding at the 

8 end the following new subsection: 

9 ‘‘(c) RESPONSIBILITIES OF BROADCAST STATIONS, 

10 PROVIDERS OF CABLE AND SATELLITE TELEVISION, AND

11 ONLINE PLATFORMS.— 

12 ‘‘(1) RESPONSIBILITIES DESCRIBED.—Each tel13 evision or radio broadcast station, provider of cable 

14 or satellite television, or online platform shall make 

15 reasonable efforts to ensure that communications de16 scribed in section 318(a) and made available by such 

17 station, provider, or platform are not purchased by 

18 a foreign national, directly or indirectly. For pur19 poses of the previous sentence, a station, provider, 

20 or online platform shall not be considered to have 

21 made reasonable efforts under this paragraph in the 

22 case of the availability of a communication unless 

23 the station, provider, or online platform directly in24 quires from the individual or entity making such 

25 purchase whether the purchase is to be made by a 

26 foreign national, directly or indirectly. 


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1 ‘‘(2) SPECIAL RULES FOR DISBURSEMENT PAID

2 WITH CREDIT CARD.—For purposes of paragraph 

3 (1), a television or radio broadcast station, provider 

4 of cable or satellite television, or online platform 

5 shall be considered to have made reasonable efforts 

6 under such paragraph in the case of a purchase of 

7 the availability of a communication which is made 

8 with a credit card if— 

9 ‘‘(A) the individual or entity making such 

10 purchase is required, at the time of making 

11 such purchase, to disclose the credit verification 

12 value of such credit card; and 

13 ‘‘(B) the billing address associated with 

14 such credit card is located in the United States 

15 or, in the case of a purchase made by an indi16 vidual who is a United States citizen living out17 side of the United States, the individual pro18 vides the television or radio broadcast station, 

19 provider of cable or satellite television, or online 

20 platform with the United States mailing ad21 dress the individual uses for voter registration 

22 purposes. 

23 ‘‘(3) DEFINITIONS.— 

24 ‘‘(A) ONLINE PLATFORM.—For purposes 

25 of this subsection, the term ‘online platform’ 


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1 means any public-facing website, web applica2 tion, or digital application (including a social 

3 network, ad network, or search engine) which— 

4 ‘‘(i) sells qualified political advertise5 ments; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) has 50,000,000 or more unique 

7 monthly United States visitors or users for 

8 a majority of months during the preceding 

9 12 months. 

10 ‘‘(B) QUALIFIED POLITICAL ADVERTISE11 MENT.—For purposes of subparagraph (A), the 

12 term ‘qualified political advertisement’ means 

13 any advertisement (including search engine 

14 marketing, display advertisements, video adver15 tisements, native advertisements, and sponsor16 ships) that— 

17 ‘‘(i) is made by or on behalf of a can18 didate; or 

19 ‘‘(ii) communicates a message relating 

20 to any political matter of national impor21 tance, including— 

22 ‘‘(I) a candidate; 

23 ‘‘(II) any election to Federal of24 fice; 


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1 ‘‘(III) a national legislative issue 

2 of public importance; or 

3 ‘‘(IV) any State or local ballot 

4 initiative or referendum.’’. 

Æ 


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