Title: Prohibiting Foreign Election Assistance Act of 2019
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Prohibiting Foreign Election Assistance Act of 2019
This bill specifies that information sought or obtained for a political advantage is included in the ban on foreign contributions to an election, and establishes penalties for related violations.
Political committees must submit to the Federal Election Commission a written acknowledgement of the ban on foreign contributions.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3395 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3395

   To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to clarify the 
  treatment of information sought or obtained for political advantage 
from foreign nationals, to require political committees under such Act 
to acknowledge in writing that they are aware of the provisions of such 
 Act which prohibit the solicitation, acceptance, or receipt of money 
and other things of value from foreign nationals in elections, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 20, 2019

  Mr. Schiff introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                   Committee on House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to clarify the 
  treatment of information sought or obtained for political advantage 
from foreign nationals, to require political committees under such Act 
to acknowledge in writing that they are aware of the provisions of such 
 Act which prohibit the solicitation, acceptance, or receipt of money 
and other things of value from foreign nationals in elections, 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 ``Prohibiting Foreign Election 
Assistance Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. TREATMENT OF INFORMATION SOUGHT OR OBTAINED FOR POLITICAL 
              ADVANTAGE FROM FOREIGN NATIONALS.

    (a) Clarification of Treatment as Thing of Value for Purposes of 
Foreign Money Ban.--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 
``or other thing of value'' and inserting ``or other thing of value 
(including information sought or obtained for political advantage)''.
    (b) Enhanced Penalty for Violation.--
            (1) In general.--Section 309(d)(1) of such Act (52 U.S.C. 
        30109(d)(1)) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
        subparagraph:
    ``(E) Any person who knowingly and willfully commits a violation of 
section 319 which involves the making, solicitation, acceptance, or 
receipt of any contribution, donation, or expenditure involving 
information sought or obtained for political advantage, shall be fined 
under title 18, United States Code, or imprisoned for not more than 5 
years, or both.''.
            (2) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (1) 
        shall apply with respect to contributions, donations, and 
        expenditures which are made, solicited, accepted, or received 
        on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. REQUIRING ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF FOREIGN MONEY BAN BY POLITICAL 
              COMMITTEES.

    (a) Provision of Information by Federal Election Commission.--
Section 303 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 
30103) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(e) Acknowledgment of Foreign Money Ban.--
            ``(1) Notification by commission.--Not later than 30 days 
        after a political committee files its statement of organization 
        under subsection (a), and biennially thereafter until the 
        committee terminates, the Commission shall provide the 
        committee with a written explanation of section 319.
            ``(2) Acknowledgment by committee.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Not later than 30 days after 
                receiving the written explanation of section 319 under 
                paragraph (1), the committee shall transmit to the 
                Commission a signed certification that the committee 
                has received such written explanation and has provided 
                a copy of the explanation to all members, employees, 
                contractors, and volunteers of the committee.
                    ``(B) Person responsible for signature.--The 
                certification required under subparagraph (A) shall be 
                signed--
                            ``(i) in the case of an authorized 
                        committee of a candidate, by the candidate; or
                            ``(ii) in the case of any other political 
                        committee, by the treasurer of the 
                        committee.''.
    (b) Effective Date; Transition for Existing Committees.--
            (1) In general.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
        apply with respect to political committees which file 
        statements of organization under section 303 of the Federal 
        Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30103) on or after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act.
            (2) Transition for existing committees.--
                    (A) Notification by federal election commission.--
                Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment 
                of this Act, the Federal Election Commission shall 
                provide each political committee under such Act with 
                the written explanation of section 319 of such Act, as 
                required under section 303(e)(1) of such Act (as added 
                by subsection (a)).
                    (B) Acknowledgment by committee.--Not later than 30 
                days after receiving the written explanation under 
                subparagraph (A), each political committee under such 
                Act shall transmit to the Federal Election Commission 
                the signed certification, as required under section 
                303(e)(2) of such Act (as added by subsection (a)).
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