Block Foreign-Funded Political Ads Act
Bill: H.R.990 | Sponsor: Rep. Golden, Jared F. (D-ME)
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Block Foreign-Funded Political Ads Act
This bill requires certain entities (i.e., television and radio broadcasting stations, providers of cable and satellite television, and online platforms) to make reasonable efforts to ensure that political advertisements are not directly or indirectly purchased by a foreign national.
Specifically, the bill requires these entities to directly inquire whether the purchase for a political advertisement is being made by a foreign national. It also requires these entities, when accepting a credit card purchase for a political advertisement, to collect the credit card's verification value. The card's billing address must be in the United States unless the purchaser is a U.S. citizen living outside of the United States, in which case the purchaser must provide his or her voter registration address.

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.

    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 ``Block Foreign-Funded Political Ads 
Act''.

SEC. 2. PREVENTING CONTRIBUTIONS, EXPENDITURES, INDEPENDENT 
              EXPENDITURES, AND DISBURSEMENTS FOR ELECTIONEERING 
              COMMUNICATIONS BY FOREIGN NATIONALS IN THE FORM OF ONLINE 
              ADVERTISING.

    Section 319 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 
30121) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(c) Responsibilities of Broadcast Stations, Providers of Cable 
and Satellite Television, and Online Platforms.--
            ``(1) Responsibilities described.--Each television or radio 
        broadcast station, provider of cable or satellite television, 
        or online platform shall make reasonable efforts to ensure that 
        communications described in section 318(a) and made available 
        by such station, provider, or platform are not purchased by a 
        foreign national, directly or indirectly. For purposes of the 
        previous sentence, a station, provider, or online platform 
        shall not be considered to have made reasonable efforts under 
        this paragraph in the case of the availability of a 
        communication unless the station, provider, or online platform 
        directly inquires from the individual or entity making such 
        purchase whether the purchase is to be made by a foreign 
        national, directly or indirectly.
            ``(2) Special rules for disbursement paid with credit 
        card.--For purposes of paragraph (1), a television or radio 
        broadcast station, provider of cable or satellite television, 
        or online platform shall be considered to have made reasonable 
        efforts under such paragraph in the case of a purchase of the 
        availability of a communication which is made with a credit 
        card if--
                    ``(A) the individual or entity making such purchase 
                is required, at the time of making such purchase, to 
                disclose the credit verification value of such credit 
                card; and
                    ``(B) the billing address associated with such 
                credit card is located in the United States or, in the 
                case of a purchase made by an individual who is a 
                United States citizen living outside of the United 
                States, the individual provides the television or radio 
                broadcast station, provider of cable or satellite 
                television, or online platform with the United States 
                mailing address the individual uses for voter 
                registration purposes.
            ``(3) Definitions.--
                    ``(A) Online platform.--For purposes of this 
                subsection, the term `online platform' means any 
                public-facing website, web application, or digital 
                application (including a social network, ad network, or 
                search engine) which--
                            ``(i) sells qualified political 
                        advertisements; and
                            ``(ii) has 50,000,000 or more unique 
                        monthly United States visitors or users for a 
                        majority of months during the preceding 12 
                        months.
                    ``(B) Qualified political advertisement.--For 
                purposes of subparagraph (A), the term `qualified 
                political advertisement' means any advertisement 
                (including search engine marketing, display 
                advertisements, video advertisements, native 
                advertisements, and sponsorships) that--
                            ``(i) is made by or on behalf of a 
                        candidate; or
                            ``(ii) communicates a message relating to 
                        any political matter of national importance, 
                        including--
                                    ``(I) a candidate;
                                    ``(II) any election to Federal 
                                office; or
                                    ``(III) a national legislative 
                                issue of public importance.''.
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