Title: Stop Foreign Influence Act
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Stop Foreign Influence Act
This bill amends the federal criminal code to impose a 10-year post-employment lobbying ban on a former President, Vice President, Member of Congress, or specified intelligence appointee who knowingly represents, or aids or advises, a country of particular concern. The term "country of particular concern" means: (1) a country designated by the Department of State to be of particular concern for religious freedom violations, and (2) any entity owned or controlled by such country.
Additionally, the bill amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to revise the definition of "lobbyist." Currently, a lobbyist is an individual who: (1) is employed or retained by a client for compensation, (2) makes more than one lobbying contact, and (3) spends at least 20% of the time working for that client on lobbying activities. This bill broadens the definition to include, as a lobbyist, an individual who spends less than 20% of the time working for that client on lobbying activities, if the client is a country of particular concern and if the individual is a former President, Vice President, Member of Congress, or specified intelligence appointee.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 345 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 345

 To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the President, the 
    Vice President, Members of Congress, and other officers of the 
  executive branch from lobbying on behalf of countries designated as 
  countries of particular concern for religious freedom for 10 years 
             after leaving office, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 5, 2017

  Mr. Trott introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the President, the 
    Vice President, Members of Congress, and other officers of the 
  executive branch from lobbying on behalf of countries designated as 
  countries of particular concern for religious freedom for 10 years 
             after leaving office, 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 ``Stop Foreign Influence Act''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON LOBBYING FOR COUNTRIES OF PARTICULAR CONCERN.

    (a) Prohibition on Lobbying.--Section 207 of title 18, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsection:
    ``(m) Additional Restrictions Relating to Countries of Particular 
Concern.--
            ``(1) In general.--In addition to the restrictions 
        contained in subsection (f), any person who serves in a 
        position described in paragraph (2) and who, within 10 years 
        after leaving that position, knowingly--
                    ``(A) represents a country of particular concern 
                before any Member, officer, or employee of either House 
                of Congress, or any officer or employee of a department 
                or agency of the executive branch, with the intent to 
                influence a decision of such officer, employee, or 
                Member, in his or her official capacity, or
                    ``(B) aids or advises a country of particular 
                concern with the intent to influence a decision of any 
                Member, officer, or employee of either House of 
                Congress, or any officer or employee of a department or 
                agency of the executive branch, in his or her official 
                capacity,
        shall be punished as provided in section 216 of this title.
            ``(2) Positions subject to restriction.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The positions referred to in 
                paragraph (1) are the following:
                            ``(i) The President.
                            ``(ii) The Vice President.
                            ``(iii) A Member of Congress.
                            ``(iv) A covered appointee position.
                    ``(B) Covered appointee position.--For purposes of 
                this paragraph, an individual serves in a `covered 
                appointee position' if the individual serves--
                            ``(i) except as provided in clause (ii), in 
                        a position in an Executive agency to which the 
                        individual was appointed by the President, by 
                        and with the advice and consent of the Senate;
                            ``(ii) in a position that is held by an 
                        active duty commissioned officer of the 
                        uniformed services who is serving in a grade or 
                        rank for which the pay grade (as specified in 
                        section 201 of title 37) is pay grade O-7 or 
                        higher; or
                            ``(iii) in any of the following positions:
                                    ``(I) Deputy Director of National 
                                Intelligence.
                                    ``(II) Deputy Director of the 
                                Central Intelligence Agency.
                                    ``(III) Associate Deputy Director 
                                of the Central Intelligence Agency.
                                    ``(IV) The Director of the National 
                                Clandestine Service.
                                    ``(V) Chief of Station for the 
                                Central Intelligence Agency at an 
                                embassy or consulate of the United 
                                States.
            ``(3) Definitions.--As used in this subsection--
                    ``(A) the term `Executive agency' means an 
                Executive agency as defined by section 105 of title 5, 
                including the Executive Office of the President;
                    ``(B) the term `Member of Congress' has the meaning 
                given that term in subsection (e)(9) of this section; 
                and
                    ``(C) the term `country of particular concern' 
                means--
                            ``(i) a country which, at any time during 
                        the 5-year period ending on the date an 
                        individual who serves in a position described 
                        in paragraph (2) represents, aids, or advises 
                        such country, is designated as a country of 
                        particular concern for religious freedom under 
                        section 402 of the International Religious 
                        Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6442); and
                            ``(ii) any entity owned or controlled, in 
                        whole or in part, by the government of a 
                        country described in clause (i).''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply to any individual who, on or after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, leaves a position to which section 207(m) of title 18, United 
States Code (as added by subsection (a)), applies.

SEC. 3. ELIMINATION OF 20-PERCENT EXEMPTION FOR FORMER PRESIDENTS, VICE 
              PRESIDENTS, MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, AND OTHER EXECUTIVE 
              BRANCH OFFICERS ENGAGING IN LOBBYING ON BEHALF OF 
              COUNTRIES OF PARTICULAR CONCERN.

    (a) Elimination of Exemption.--Section 3(10) of the Lobbying 
Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1602(10)) is amended to read as 
follows:
            ``(10) Lobbyist.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Except as provided in 
                subparagraph (B), term `lobbyist' means any individual 
                who is employed or retained by a client for financial 
                or other compensation for services that include more 
                than one lobbying contact.
                    ``(B) Exception.--Subparagraph (A) does not apply 
                to an individual with respect to a client if the 
                individual's lobbying activities constitute less than 
                20 percent of the time engaged in the services provided 
                by such individual to that client over a 3-month 
                period. The previous sentence does not apply to an 
                individual with respect to a client if the client is a 
                country of particular concern (as defined in paragraph 
                (3)(C) of section 207(m) of title 18, United States 
                Code) and the individual held a position to which 
                section 207(m) of title 18, United States Code, 
                applies.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to lobbying contacts made on or after the date of 
the enactment of this Act.
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