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 enforce-
ment 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 office-
holders. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Protect Against Un-
lawful Lobbying (PAUL) Act of 2024’’. 
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF FARA INVESTIGATION AND EN-
FORCEMENT UNIT WITHIN DEPARTMENT OF 
JUSTICE. 
Section 8 of the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 
1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 618) is amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(i) DEDICATED ENFORCEMENT UNIT.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 
days after the date of enactment of this subsection, 
the Attorney General shall establish a unit within 
the counterespionage section of the National Secu-
rity Division of the Department of Justice with re-
sponsibility for the enforcement of this Act. 
‘‘(2) POWERS.—The unit established under this 
subsection is authorized to— 
‘‘(A) take appropriate legal action against 
individuals suspected of violating this Act; and 
‘‘(B) coordinate any such legal action with 
the United States Attorney for the relevant ju-
risdiction. 
‘‘(3) CONSULTATION.—In operating the unit es-
tablished under this subsection, the Attorney Gen-
eral shall, as appropriate, consult with the Director 
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of National Intelligence, the Secretary of Homeland 
Security, and the Secretary of State. 
‘‘(4) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
the activities of the unit established under this sub-
section $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2024 and each 
succeeding fiscal year.’’. 
SEC. 3. AUTHORITY TO IMPOSE CIVIL MONEY PENALTIES. 
(a) ESTABLISHING AUTHORITY.—Section 8 of the 
Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 
U.S.C. 618) is amended by inserting after subsection (c) 
the following new subsection: 
‘‘(d) CIVIL MONEY PENALTIES.— 
‘‘(1) REGISTRATION
STATEMENTS.—Whoever 
fails to file timely or complete a registration state-
ment as provided under section 2(a) shall be subject 
to a civil money penalty of not more than $10,000 
per violation. 
‘‘(2) SUPPLEMENTS.—Whoever fails to file 
timely or complete supplements as provided under 
section 2(b) shall be subject to a civil money penalty 
of not more than $1,000 per violation. 
‘‘(3) OTHER VIOLATIONS.—Whoever knowingly 
fails to— 
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‘‘(A) remedy a defective filing within 60 
days after notice of such defect by the Attorney 
General; or 
‘‘(B) comply with any other provision of 
this Act, 
shall upon proof of such knowing violation by a pre-
ponderance of the evidence, be subject to a civil 
money penalty of not more than $200,000, depend-
ing on the extent and gravity of the violation. 
‘‘(4) NO
FINES
PAID
BY
FOREIGN
PRIN-
CIPALS.—A civil money penalty paid under para-
graph (1) may not be paid, directly or indirectly, by 
a foreign principal. 
‘‘(5) USE OF FINES.—All civil money penalties 
collected under this subsection shall be used to de-
fray the cost of the enforcement unit established 
under subsection (i).’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 
subsection (a) shall take effect on the date of the enact-
ment of this Act. 
SEC. 
4. 
DISCLOSURE 
OF 
TRANSACTIONS 
INVOLVING 
THINGS OF FINANCIAL VALUE CONFERRED 
ON OFFICEHOLDERS. 
(a) REQUIRING
AGENTS
TO
DISCLOSE
KNOWN 
TRANSACTIONS.— 
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