IIB 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4617 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
OCTOBER 28, 2019 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and 
Administration 
AN ACT 
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to 
clarify the obligation to report acts of foreign election 
influence and require implementation of compliance and 
reporting systems by Federal campaigns to detect and 
report such acts, and for other purposes. 
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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Stopping Harmful Interference in Elections for a Lasting 
Democracy Act’’ or the ‘‘SHIELD Act’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
TITLE I—ENHANCED REPORTING REQUIREMENTS 
Subtitle A—Establishing Duty To Report Foreign Election Interference 
Sec. 101. Federal campaign reporting of foreign contacts. 
Sec. 102. Federal campaign foreign contact reporting compliance system. 
Sec. 103. Criminal penalties. 
Sec. 104. Report to congressional intelligence committees. 
Sec. 105. Rule of construction. 
Subtitle B—Strengthening Oversight of Online Political Advertising 
Sec. 111. Short title. 
Sec. 112. Purpose. 
Sec. 113. Expansion of definition of public communication. 
Sec. 114. Expansion of definition of electioneering communication. 
Sec. 115. Application of disclaimer statements to online communications. 
Sec. 116. Political record requirements for online platforms. 
Sec. 117. Preventing contributions, expenditures, independent expenditures, 
and disbursements for electioneering communications by for-
eign nationals in the form of online advertising. 
Sec. 118. Independent study on media literacy and online political content con-
sumption. 
TITLE II—CLOSING LOOPHOLES ALLOWING SPENDING BY 
FOREIGN NATIONALS IN ELECTIONS 
Sec. 201. Clarification of prohibition on participation by foreign nationals in 
election-related activities. 
Sec. 202. Clarification of application of foreign money ban to certain disburse-
ments and activities. 
Sec. 203. Audit and report on illicit foreign money in Federal elections. 
Sec. 204. Prohibition on contributions and donations by foreign nationals in 
connections with ballot initiatives and referenda. 
Sec. 205. Expansion of limitations on foreign nationals participating in political 
advertising. 
Sec. 206. Prohibiting establishment of corporation to conceal election contribu-
tions and donations by foreign nationals. 
TITLE III—DETERRING FOREIGN INTERFERENCE IN ELECTIONS 
Subtitle A—Deterrence Under Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 
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Sec. 301. Restrictions on exchange of campaign information between candidates 
and foreign powers. 
Sec. 302. Clarification of standard for determining existence of coordination be-
tween campaigns and outside interests. 
Sec. 303. Prohibition on provision of substantial assistance relating to contribu-
tion or donation by foreign nationals. 
Subtitle B—Prohibiting Deceptive Practices and Preventing Voter 
Intimidation 
Sec. 311. Short title. 
Sec. 312. Prohibition on deceptive practices in Federal elections. 
Sec. 313. Corrective action. 
Sec. 314. Reports to Congress. 
Subtitle C—Inadmissibility and Deportability of Aliens Engaging in Improper 
Election Interference 
Sec. 321. Inadmissibility and deportability of aliens engaging in improper inter-
ference in United States elections. 
Subtitle D—Notifying States of Disinformation Campaigns by Foreign 
Nationals 
Sec. 331. Notifying States of disinformation campaigns by foreign nationals. 
Subtitle E—Prohibiting Use of Deepfakes in Election Campaigns 
Sec. 341. Prohibition on distribution of materially deceptive audio or visual 
media prior to election. 
Subtitle F—Assessment of Exemption of Registration Requirements Under 
FARA for Registered Lobbyists 
Sec. 351. Assessment of exemption of registration requirements under FARA 
for registered lobbyists. 
TITLE IV—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 
Sec. 401. Effective dates of provisions. 
Sec. 402. Severability. 
TITLE I—ENHANCED 
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS 
Subtitle A—Establishing Duty To 
Report Foreign Election Inter-
ference 
SEC. 101. FEDERAL CAMPAIGN REPORTING OF FOREIGN 
CONTACTS. 
(a) INITIAL NOTICE.— 
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lieves is a covered foreign national; 
and 
‘‘(ii) the person described in clause 
(i)(I) knows, has reason to know, or rea-
sonably believes involves— 
‘‘(I) an offer or other proposal 
for a contribution, donation, expendi-
ture, disbursement, or solicitation de-
scribed in section 319; or 
‘‘(II) coordination or collabora-
tion with, an offer or provision of in-
formation or services to or from, or 
persistent and repeated contact with, 
a covered foreign national in connec-
tion with an election. 
‘‘(B) EXCEPTIONS.— 
‘‘(i) CONTACTS IN OFFICIAL CAPACITY 
AS ELECTED OFFICIAL.—The term ‘report-
able foreign contact’ shall not include any 
contact or communication with a covered 
foreign national by an elected official or an 
employee of an elected official solely in an 
official capacity as such an official or em-
ployee. 
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‘‘(ii) CONTACTS
FOR
PURPOSES
OF 
ENABLING
OBSERVATION
OF
ELECTIONS 
BY
INTERNATIONAL
OBSERVERS.—The 
term ‘reportable foreign contact’ shall not 
include any contact or communication with 
a covered foreign national by any person 
which is made for purposes of enabling the 
observation of elections in the United 
States by a foreign national or the obser-
vation of elections outside of the United 
States by a candidate, political committee, 
or any official, employee, or agent of such 
committee. 
‘‘(iii) EXCEPTIONS
NOT
APPLICABLE 
IF
CONTACTS
OR
COMMUNICATIONS
IN-
VOLVE
PROHIBITED
DISBURSEMENTS.—A 
contact or communication by an elected of-
ficial or an employee of an elected official 
shall not be considered to be made solely 
in an official capacity for purposes of 
clause (i), and a contact or communication 
shall not be considered to be made for pur-
poses of enabling the observation of elec-
tions for purposes of clause (ii), if the con-
tact or communication involves a contribu-
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tion, donation, expenditure, disbursement, 
or solicitation described in section 319. 
‘‘(C) COVERED
FOREIGN
NATIONAL
DE-
FINED.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In this paragraph, 
the 
term 
‘covered 
foreign 
national’ 
means— 
‘‘(I) a foreign principal (as de-
fined in section 1(b) of the Foreign 
Agents Registration Act of 1938 (22 
U.S.C. 611(b)) that is a government 
of a foreign country or a foreign polit-
ical party; 
‘‘(II) any person who acts as an 
agent, representative, employee, or 
servant, or any person who acts in 
any other capacity at the order, re-
quest, or under the direction or con-
trol, of a foreign principal described in 
subclause (I) or of a person any of 
whose activities are directly or indi-
rectly supervised, directed, controlled, 
financed, or subsidized in whole or in 
major part by a foreign principal de-
scribed in subclause (I); or 
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‘‘(III) any person included in the 
list of specially designated nationals 
and blocked persons maintained by 
the Office of Foreign Assets Control 
of the Department of the Treasury 
pursuant to authorities relating to the 
imposition of sanctions relating to the 
conduct of a foreign principal de-
scribed in subclause (I). 
‘‘(ii) CLARIFICATION REGARDING AP-
PLICATION TO CITIZENS OF THE UNITED 
STATES.—In the case of a citizen of the 
United States, subclause (II) of clause (i) 
applies only to the extent that the person 
involved acts within the scope of that per-
son’s status as the agent of a foreign prin-
cipal described in subclause (I) of clause 
(i). 
‘‘(4) IMMEDIATE
FAMILY
MEMBER.—In this 
subsection, the term ‘immediate family member’ 
means, with respect to a candidate, a parent, parent- 
in-law, spouse, adult child, or sibling.’’. 
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made 
by paragraph (1) shall apply with respect to report-
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able foreign contacts which occur on or after the 
date of the enactment of this Act. 
(b) INFORMATION INCLUDED ON REPORT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 304(b) of such Act 
(52 U.S.C. 30104(b)) is amended— 
(A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of para-
graph (7); 
(B) by striking the period at the end of 
paragraph (8) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(9) for any reportable foreign contact (as de-
fined in subsection (j)(3))— 
‘‘(A) the date, time, and location of the 
contact; 
‘‘(B) the date and time of when a des-
ignated official of the committee was notified of 
the contact; 
‘‘(C) the identity of individuals involved; 
and 
‘‘(D) a description of the contact, including 
the nature of any contribution, donation, ex-
penditure, disbursement, or solicitation involved 
and the nature of any activity described in sub-
section (j)(3)(A)(ii)(II) involved.’’. 
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(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made 
by paragraph (1) shall apply with respect to reports 
filed on or after the expiration of the 60-day period 
which begins on the date of the enactment of this 
Act. 
SEC. 102. FEDERAL CAMPAIGN FOREIGN CONTACT RE-
PORTING COMPLIANCE SYSTEM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 302 of the Federal Elec-
tion Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30102) is amended 
by adding at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(j) REPORTABLE FOREIGN CONTACTS COMPLIANCE 
POLICY.— 
‘‘(1) REPORTING.—Each political committee 
shall establish a policy that requires all officials, em-
ployees, and agents of such committee to notify the 
treasurer or other appropriate designated official of 
the committee of any reportable foreign contact (as 
defined in section 304(j)) not later than 3 days after 
such contact was made. 
‘‘(2) 
RETENTION
AND
PRESERVATION
OF 
RECORDS.—Each political committee shall establish 
a policy that provides for the retention and preserva-
tion of records and information related to reportable 
foreign contacts (as so defined) for a period of not 
less than 3 years. 
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