FARM Act of 2019

Bill: 116-hr-5122
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Buck, Ken [R-CO-4]
Introduced: 2019-11-15
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Government information and archives

Licensing and registrations

Public participation and lobbying
Latest action: action_date: 2019-11-15
text: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-11-15
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Foreign Agents Registration Modernization Act of 2019 or the FARM Act of 2019</b></p> <p>This bill imposes additional requirements related to the public database of registrations that are filed, as required by the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA),&nbsp;by agents that&nbsp;engage in certain political activities for foreign principals. Specifically, the Department of Justice shall establish the National Foreign Agents Database, which shall be a publicly searchable, sortable, and machine-processable database of the information contained in such registrations.&nbsp;Current law&nbsp;requires a database of registrations to have search and sort functions only to the extent technically practicable. </p> <p>FARA-required registrations shall be filed in an electronic, structured data format. Electronically filed registrations shall be immediately available to the public over the internet. </p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 5122 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES November 15, 2019 Mr. Buck (for himself and Mr. Khanna ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 to require registration statements filed under such Act to be filed in a structured data format which enables the statements to be digitized for purposes of the publicly available electronic database maintained under such Act, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Foreign Agents Registration Modernization Act of 2019 or the FARM Act of 2019 . 2. Format for registration statements filed under Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (a) Requiring registration statements To be in structured data format Section 2(g) of the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended ( 22 U.S.C. 612(g) ) is amended by striking in electronic form and inserting in an electronic, structured data format under which the statement or supplement shall be published in a publicly available, machine-processable digital format for purposes of the National Foreign Agents Database under section 6(d) . (b) Effective date The amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to statements filed on or after the expiration of the 180-day period which begins on the date of the enactment of this Act. 3. Requirements for electronic database of registration statements (a) Requiring database To be searchable and sortable by public; designation of database as National Foreign Agents Database Section 6(d)(1) of the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended ( 22 U.S.C. 616(d)(1) ) is amended— (1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking to the extent technically practicable, ; (2) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking an electronic database and inserting an electronic database to be known as the National Foreign Agents Database ; and (3) in subparagraph (A), by striking includes the information and inserting includes in a digitized format the information . (b) Requiring immediate posting of statements upon receipt Section 6(d)(2) of such Act ( 22 U.S.C. 616(d)(2) ) is amended by striking as soon as technically practicable and inserting immediately . (c) Effective date The amendments made by this section shall take effect upon the expiration of the 180-day period which begins on the date of the enactment of this Act.