Sponsors (2)
The bill improves public and congressional ability to spot foreign-government influence by requiring specific foreign-actor disclosures, at the cost of added compliance burdens for registrants and some risk of chilling legitimate advocacy.
Members of the public, taxpayers, and policymakers gain clearer information because lobbying registrants must disclose which foreign governments or foreign political parties are directing or controlling their lobbying, increasing transparency.
Congress and oversight bodies can more easily identify and investigate foreign government influence in U.S. policymaking since registration filings must name specific foreign actors, strengthening national security and accountability.
Lobbying firms and their clients must spend time and money to collect and report detailed foreign actor names and addresses, increasing compliance costs.
Advocacy groups and lobbying firms may face legal uncertainty or self-censor lawful activity out of fear of penalties for incomplete disclosures about complex foreign involvement, chilling legitimate advocacy.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced March 5, 2025 by Mariannette Miller-Meeks · Last progress March 5, 2025
Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act registration requirements so that anyone who registers must list the name and address of any foreign government (including its agencies or subdivisions) and any foreign political party that participates in directing, planning, supervising, or controlling the registrant’s lobbying activities. The change is a disclosure rule only; it does not create new programs or authorize spending.