HR 4617 RH1S 
‘‘(1) results of the audit required by subsection 
(a)(1); and 
‘‘(2) recommendations to address the presence of 
illicit foreign money in elections, as appropriate. 
‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section: 
‘‘(1) The term ‘Federal election cycle’ means the 
period which begins on the day after the date of a reg-
ularly scheduled general election for Federal office 
and which ends on the date of the first regularly 
scheduled general election for Federal office held after 
such date. 
‘‘(2) The term ‘illicit foreign money’ means any 
disbursement by a foreign national (as defined in sec-
tion 319(b)) prohibited under such section.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by sub-
section (a) shall apply with respect to the Federal election 
cycle that began during November 2018, and each suc-
ceeding Federal election cycle. 
SEC. 204. PROHIBITION ON CONTRIBUTIONS AND DONA-
TIONS BY FOREIGN NATIONALS IN CONNEC-
TIONS 
WITH 
BALLOT 
INITIATIVES 
AND 
REFERENDA. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 319(a)(1)(A) of the Federal 
Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30121(a)(1)(A)) 
is amended by striking ‘‘election’’ and inserting the fol-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:04 Oct 22, 2019
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00034
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H4617.RH
H4617
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
HR 4617 RH1S 
lowing: ‘‘election, including a State or local ballot initiative 
or referendum’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by this 
section shall apply with respect to elections held in 2020 
or any succeeding year. 
SEC. 205. EXPANSION OF LIMITATIONS ON FOREIGN NA-
TIONALS PARTICIPATING IN POLITICAL AD-
VERTISING. 
(a) DISBURSEMENTS DESCRIBED.—Section 319(a)(1) 
of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 
30121(a)(1)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of subparagraph 
(B); and 
(2) by striking subparagraph (C) and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(C) an expenditure; 
‘‘(D) an independent expenditure; 
‘‘(E) a disbursement for an electioneering 
communication (within the meaning of section 
304(f)(3)); 
‘‘(F) a disbursement for a communication 
which is placed or promoted for a fee on a 
website, web application, or digital application 
that refers to a clearly identified candidate for 
election for Federal office and is disseminated 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:04 Oct 22, 2019
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00035
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H4617.RH
H4617
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
HR 4617 RH1S 
within 60 days before a general, special or runoff 
election for the office sought by the candidate or 
30 days before a primary or preference election, 
or a convention or caucus of a political party 
that has authority to nominate a candidate for 
the office sought by the candidate; 
‘‘(G) a disbursement for a broadcast, cable 
or satellite communication, or for a communica-
tion which is placed or promoted for a fee on a 
website, web application, or digital application, 
that promotes, supports, attacks or opposes the 
election of a clearly identified candidate for Fed-
eral, State, or local office (regardless of whether 
the communication contains express advocacy or 
the functional equivalent of express advocacy); 
‘‘(H) a disbursement for a broadcast, cable, 
or satellite communication, or for any commu-
nication which is placed or promoted for a fee on 
an online platform (as defined in section 
304(k)(3)), that discusses a national legislative 
issue of public importance in a year in which a 
regularly scheduled general election for Federal 
office is held, but only if the disbursement is 
made by a covered foreign national described in 
section 304(j)(3)(C); or 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:04 Oct 22, 2019
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00036
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H4617.RH
H4617
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
HR 4617 RH1S 
‘‘(I) a disbursement by a covered foreign 
national described in section 304(j)(3)(C) to 
compensate any person for internet activity that 
promotes, supports, attacks or opposes the elec-
tion of a clearly identified candidate for Federal, 
State, or local office (regardless of whether the 
activity communication contains express advo-
cacy or the functional equivalent of express advo-
cacy);’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by this 
section shall apply with respect to disbursements made on 
or after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
TITLE III—DETERRING FOREIGN 
INTERFERENCE IN ELECTIONS 
Subtitle A—Deterrence Under Fed-
eral Election Campaign Act of 
1971 
SEC. 301. RESTRICTIONS ON EXCHANGE OF CAMPAIGN IN-
FORMATION 
BETWEEN 
CANDIDATES 
AND 
FOREIGN POWERS. 
Section 319 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 
1971 (52 U.S.C. 30121), as amended by section 117 and 
section 201(b), is further amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsection: 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:04 Oct 22, 2019
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00037
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H4617.RH
H4617
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
HR 4617 RH1S 
‘‘(e) RESTRICTIONS ON EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION 
BETWEEN CANDIDATES AND FOREIGN POWERS.— 
‘‘(1) TREATMENT
OF
OFFER
TO
SHARE
NON-
PUBLIC
CAMPAIGN
MATERIAL
AS
SOLICITATION
OF 
CONTRIBUTION FROM FOREIGN NATIONAL.—If a can-
didate or an individual affiliated with the campaign 
of a candidate, or if a political committee or an indi-
vidual affiliated with a political committee, provides 
or offers to provide nonpublic campaign material to 
a covered foreign national or to another person whom 
the candidate, committee, or individual knows or has 
reason to know will provide the material to a covered 
foreign national, the candidate, committee, or indi-
vidual (as the case may be) shall be considered for 
purposes of this section to have solicited a contribu-
tion or donation described in subsection (a)(1)(A) 
from a foreign national. 
‘‘(2) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection, the fol-
lowing definitions apply: 
‘‘(A) The term ‘candidate’ means an indi-
vidual who seeks nomination for, or election to, 
any Federal, State, or local public office. 
‘‘(B) The term ‘covered foreign national’ has 
the meaning given such term in section 
304(j)(3)(C). 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:04 Oct 22, 2019
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00038
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H4617.RH
H4617
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
HR 4617 RH1S 
‘‘(C) The term ‘individual affiliated with a 
campaign’ means, with respect to a candidate, 
an employee of any organization legally author-
ized under Federal, State, or local law to sup-
port the candidate’s campaign for nomination 
for, or election to, any Federal, State, or local 
public office, as well as any independent con-
tractor of such an organization and any indi-
vidual who performs services on behalf of the or-
ganization, whether paid or unpaid. 
‘‘(D) The term ‘individual affiliated with a 
political committee’ means, with respect to a po-
litical committee, an employee of the committee 
as well as any independent contractor of the 
committee and any individual who performs 
services on behalf of the committee, whether paid 
or unpaid. 
‘‘(E) The term ‘nonpublic campaign mate-
rial’ means, with respect to a candidate or a po-
litical committee, campaign material that is pro-
duced by the candidate or the committee or pro-
duced at the candidate or committee’s expense or 
request which is not distributed or made avail-
able to the general public or otherwise in the 
public domain, including polling and focus 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:04 Oct 22, 2019
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00039
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H4617.RH
H4617
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
HR 4617 RH1S 
group data and opposition research, except that 
such term does not include material produced for 
purposes of consultations relating solely to the 
candidate’s or committee’s position on a legisla-
tive or policy matter.’’. 
SEC. 302. CLARIFICATION OF STANDARD FOR DETER-
MINING EXISTENCE OF COORDINATION BE-
TWEEN CAMPAIGNS AND OUTSIDE INTER-
ESTS. 
Section 315(a) of the Federal Election Campaign Act 
of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30116(a)) is amended by adding at the 
end the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(10) For purposes of paragraph (7), an expenditure 
or disbursement may be considered to have been made in 
cooperation, consultation, or concert with, or coordinated 
with, a person without regard to whether or not the coopera-
tion, consultation, or coordination is carried out pursuant 
to agreement or formal collaboration.’’. 
Subtitle B—[Reserved] 
TITLE IV—MISCELLANEOUS 
PROVISIONS 
SEC. 401. EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROVISIONS. 
Each provision of this Act and each amendment made 
by a provision of this Act shall take effect on the effective 
date provided under this Act for such provision or such 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:04 Oct 22, 2019
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00040
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H4617.RH
H4617
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
HR 4617 RH1S 
amendment without regard to whether or not the Federal 
Election Commission, the Attorney General, or any other 
person has promulgated regulations to carry out such provi-
sion or such amendment. 
SEC. 402. SEVERABILITY. 
If any provision of this Act or any amendment made 
by this Act, or the application of a provision of this Act 
or an amendment made by this Act to any person or cir-
cumstance, is held to be unconstitutional, the remainder of 
this Act, and the application of the provisions to any person 
or circumstance, shall not be affected by the holding. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:04 Oct 22, 2019
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00041
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H4617.RH
H4617
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
Union Calendar No. 196 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 4617 
[Report No. 116–246, Part I] 
A BILL 
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 
1971 to clarify the obligation to report acts of 
foreign election influence and require implemen-
tation of compliance and reporting systems by 
Federal campaigns to detect and report such 
acts, and for other purposes. 
OCTOBER 21, 2019 
Reported from the Committee on House Administration 
with an amendment 
OCTOBER 21, 2019 
Committee on the Judiciary discharged; committed to the 
Committee of the Whole House on the State of the 
Union and ordered to be printed 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:04 Oct 22, 2019
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00042
Fmt 6651
Sfmt 6651
E:\BILLS\H4617.RH
H4617
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS