Countering Russian Influence in our Politics Act of 2022
Bill: H.R.7264 | Sponsor: Rep. Budd, Ted (R-NC)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Countering Russian Influence in our Politics Act of 2022
This bill requires tax-exempt organizations that receive any thing of value from a Russian foreign principal (e.g., Russia's government or a Russian national) to register as an agent of a foreign principal, with certain exceptions. Such an organization must periodically report to the Department of Justice certain information relating to its relationships to the relevant Russian foreign principals.
The bill also imposes additional reporting requirements on a tax-exempt organization that has (1) received any thing of value from a Russian foreign principal since February 1, 2014; and (2) engaged in political activities to discourage the U.S. production of oil, petroleum products, natural gas, or critical minerals.

To amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 to treat certain 
    tax-exempt organizations receiving funding from Russian foreign 
  principals as agents of a foreign principal under such Act, and for 
                            other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Countering Russian Influence in our 
Politics Act of 2022''.

SEC. 2. COVERAGE OF CERTAIN TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS RECEIVING FUNDING 
              FROM RUSSIAN FOREIGN PRINCIPALS UNDER FOREIGN AGENTS 
              REGISTRATION ACT.

    (a) Coverage.--The Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as 
amended (22 U.S.C. 611 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating sections 12, 13, and 14 as sections 
        13, 14, and 15, respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after section 11 the following:

``SEC. 12. APPLICABILITY TO CERTAIN TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS RECEIVING 
              FUNDING FROM RUSSIAN FOREIGN PRINCIPALS.

    ``(a) Applicability.--
            ``(1) In general.--Subject to the provisions of this 
        section, for the purposes of this Act an organization described 
        in subsection (b) is an agent of a foreign principal.
            ``(2) Exceptions.--
                    ``(A) Nonapplication of waiver for entities filing 
                reports under lobbying disclosure act of 1995.--Section 
                3(h) shall not apply to an organization described in 
                subsection (b)(1) and (b)(2).
                    ``(B) Waiver for organizations soliciting funds 
                outside united states for humanitarian assistance.--
                Section 3(d)(3) shall apply to an organization 
                described in subsection (b) notwithstanding that the 
                organization solicits and collects funds and 
                contributions outside of the United States.
    ``(b) Description.--An organization is described in this subsection 
if--
            ``(1) the organization is a partnership, association, 
        corporation, organization, or any other combination of 
        individuals described in section 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), 
        501(c)(5), or 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
        and exempt from taxation under such Code;
            ``(2) the organization receives income, money, or any other 
        thing of value from a Russian foreign principal; and
            ``(3) the organization is not otherwise considered an agent 
        of a foreign principal under section 1.
    ``(c) Definitions.--As used in this section--
            ``(1) The term `Russian foreign principal' includes--
                    ``(A) the government of the Russian Federation;
                    ``(B) a political party of the Russian Federation;
                    ``(C) a national of the Russian Federation;
                    ``(D) a partnership, association, corporation, 
                organization or other combination of persons organized 
                under the laws of or having its principal place of 
                business in the Russian Federation; or
                    ``(E) a partnership, association, corporation, 
                organization or other combination of persons organized 
                under the laws of or having its principal place of 
                business in a foreign country other than the Russian 
                Federation that receives more than half of its funding 
                from an entity described in subparagraphs (A) through 
                (D).
            ``(2) The term `government of the Russian Federation' 
        includes any person or group of persons exercising sovereign de 
        facto or de jure political jurisdiction over the Russian 
        Federation, or over any part of such country, and includes any 
        subdivision of any such group and any group or agency to which 
        such sovereign de facto or de jure authority or functions are 
        directly or indirectly delegated. Such term shall include any 
        faction or body of insurgents within such country, or a faction 
        or body of insurgents recognized by the Russian Federation that 
        are in another country assuming to exercise governmental 
        authority whether such faction or body of insurgents has or has 
        not been recognized by the United States.
            ``(3) The term `political party of the Russian Federation' 
        includes any organization or any other combination of 
        individuals in the Russian Federation, or any unit or branch 
        thereof, having for an aim or purpose, or which is engaged in 
        any activity devoted in whole or in part to, the establishment, 
        administration, control, or acquisition of administration or 
        control of the government of the Russian Federation or 
        subdivision thereof, or the furtherance or influencing of the 
        political or public interests, policies, or relations of a 
        government of the Russian Federation or a subdivision 
        thereof.''.
    (b) Modification of Contents of Reports.--Section 2(a) of such Act 
(22 U.S.C. 612(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (4)--
                    (A) by striking ``Copies'' and inserting ``(A) 
                Except as provided in subparagraph (B), copies''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(B) In the case of an organization described in section 
        12(b), a statement that the registrant is an agent of a foreign 
        principal pursuant to section 12(a), copies of each written 
        agreement, and the terms and conditions of each oral agreement, 
        including all modifications of such agreements, or, where no 
        contract exists, a full statement of the existing and proposed 
        activity or activities engaged in or to be engaged in by the 
        registrant as a direct or indirect result of receiving income, 
        money, or any other thing of value from a Russian foreign 
        principal (as defined in section 12(c)(1)), including a 
        detailed statement of any such activity which is a political 
        activity.''; and
            (2) in paragraph (9)--
                    (A) by striking ``Copies'' and inserting ``(A) 
                Except as provided in subparagraph (B), copies''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(B) In the case of an organization described in section 
        12(b), a statement that the registrant is an agent of a foreign 
        principal pursuant to section 12(a), copies of each written 
        agreement and the terms and conditions of each oral agreement, 
        including all modifications of such agreements, or, where no 
        contract exists, a full statement of the existing and proposed 
        activity or activities engaged in or to be engaged in by the 
        registrant as a direct or indirect result of receiving income, 
        money, or any other thing of value from a Russian foreign 
        principal (as defined in section 12(c)(1)) or for any person 
        other than a foreign principal any activities which require his 
        registration hereunder.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. DISCLOSURE OF RECEIPTS AND ACTIVITIES BY CERTAIN ORGANIZATIONS 
              SINCE THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION'S INVASION OF CRIMEA.

    (a) Applicability to Prior Receipts.--Not later than 90 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, a qualifying organization shall 
submit a statement to the Attorney General containing the following 
information:
            (1) The organization's current name, principal business 
        address, and all other business addresses in the United States 
        or elsewhere.
            (2) If the organization is a partnership, the current name, 
        residence addresses, and nationality of each partner and a true 
        and complete copy of its articles of copartnership; if an 
        association, corporation, organization, or any other 
        combination of individuals, the current name, residence 
        addresses, and nationality of each current director and officer 
        and of each person performing the functions of a director or 
        officer and a true and complete copy of its charter, articles 
        of incorporation, association, constitution, and bylaws, and 
        amendments thereto; a copy of every other instrument or 
        document and a statement of the terms and conditions of every 
        oral agreement relating to its organization, powers, and 
        purposes; and a statement of its ownership and control.
            (3) Copies of each written agreement, and the terms and 
        conditions of each oral agreement, including all modifications 
        of such agreements, or, where no contract exists, a full 
        statement of the activities engaged in by the organization as a 
        direct or indirect result of receiving on or after February 1, 
        2014, income, money, or any other thing of value from a Russian 
        foreign principal, including a detailed statement of any such 
        activity which is a political activity.
            (4) A detailed statement of the money and other things of 
        value spent or disposed of by the qualifying organization as a 
        direct or indirect result of receiving on or after February 1, 
        2014, income, money, or any other thing of value from a Russian 
        foreign principal, and a detailed statement of any independent 
        expenditures, contributions of money, or other things of value 
        (regardless of source) made on or after February 1, 2014, 
        (other than contributions the making of which is prohibited 
        under the terms of section 613 of title 18, United States Code) 
        in connection with an election to any political office or in 
        connection with any primary election, convention, or caucus 
        held to select candidates for any political office.
            (5) Such other statements, information, or documents 
        pertinent to the purposes of this Act as the Attorney General, 
        having due regard for the national security and the public 
        interests of the United States, may require.
            (6) Such further statements and such further copies of 
        documents as are necessary to make the statement and 
        supplements thereto, and the copies of documents furnished 
        therewith, not misleading.
    (b) Exception for Discontinued Entities.--Subsection (a) does not 
apply to a qualifying organization that has permanently ceased 
operations on or before the date of enactment of this Act.
    (c) Penalty.--A qualifying organization that knowingly fails to 
submit the statement required under subsection (a) shall be fined not 
more than $10,000.
    (d) Clarifying Registration Requirement Under FARA.--Nothing in 
this section shall be construed--
            (1) to require a qualifying organization to register as an 
        agent of a foreign principal under section 2 of the Foreign 
        Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 612) if 
        the organization is not described in section 12(b) of such Act 
        (as added by section 2(a)) on or after the effective date of 
        section 12(b) of such Act; or
            (2) to waive the requirement of subsection (a) in the case 
        of a qualifying organization which is described in section 
        12(b) of such Act (as added by section 2(a)) on or after the 
        effective date of section 12(b) of such Act.
    (e) Definitions.--As used in this section:
            (1) The term ``critical mineral'' means any mineral 
        included on the list of critical minerals published in the 
        notice of the Secretary of the Interior entitled ``Final List 
        of Critical Minerals 2018'' (83 Fed. Reg. 23295 (May 18, 
        2018)).
            (2) The term ``political activities'' has the meaning given 
        such term in section 1(o) of the Foreign Agents Registration 
        Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 611(o)).
            (3) The term ``qualifying organization'' means an 
        organization which meets each of the following:
                    (A) The organization is a partnership, association, 
                corporation, organization, or any other combination of 
                individuals described in section 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), 
                501(c)(5), or 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code of 
                1986 and exempt from taxation under such Code.
                    (B) On or after February 1, 2014, the organization 
                knowingly received income, money, or any other thing of 
                value from a Russian foreign principal.
                    (C) The organization has engaged in political 
                activities to discourage producing oil, petroleum 
                products, natural gas, or critical minerals in the 
                United States.
            (4) The term ``Russian foreign principal'' has the meaning 
        given such term in section 12(c)(1) of the Foreign Agents 
        Registration Act of 1938, as amended (as added by section 
        2(a)).
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