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Amends 22 U.S.C. 618(f) by inserting '; and' after the first sentence and by striking the period at the end and inserting new text (replacement text not specified in the excerpt).
Amends the third sentence of 22 U.S.C. 612(a) by replacing the phrase "for the period" with "covering the period."
Makes small edits to the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) text, updates a subsection of FARA, and requires the Attorney General to publish an annual, machine-readable report about certain FARA enforcement actions. The changes apply to people who served as agents of foreign principals during the five years before enactment, on the date of enactment, or after enactment.
Amends the third sentence of section 2(a) of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (22 U.S.C. 612(a)) by striking the words "for the period" and inserting the words "covering the period."
Makes the amendment applicable to any individual who serves as an agent of a foreign principal under the Foreign Agents Registration Act if that individual served during the 5-year period ending on the date of enactment of this Act.
Makes the amendment applicable to any individual who serves as an agent of a foreign principal under the Foreign Agents Registration Act if that individual serves on the date of enactment of this Act.
Makes the amendment applicable to any individual who serves as an agent of a foreign principal under the Foreign Agents Registration Act if that individual serves after the date of enactment of this Act.
Amend Section 8(f) of the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (22 U.S.C. 618(f)) by (1) inserting after the first sentence the following text: "; and" and (2) striking the period at the end and inserting the following: "." (This is the exact textual edit shown in the section.)
Who is affected and how:
Agents of foreign principals (individuals and organizations acting as foreign agents): Most directly affected. The bill's wording change and the amended subsection explicitly apply to anyone who served as an agent of a foreign principal during the five years before enactment, on the enactment date, or after. That clarifies statutory language and may affect how prior service is characterized or reported.
Entities and organizations that engage foreign principals or use intermediaries: May see greater scrutiny and public reporting about enforcement actions involving people associated with them. Organizations that assist or employ individuals who act as foreign agents could be indirectly affected by enhanced transparency or reputational risk.
Department of Justice / Attorney General: Must collect, compile, and publish an annual machine-readable report describing covered enforcement actions. This creates recurring administrative and technical responsibilities (data collection, standardization, publication) and modest resource needs for DOJ, though no funding is specified in the summary.
Congressional oversight bodies and the public: Will receive regular, machine-readable enforcement data, improving oversight and public transparency about FARA enforcement trends, outcomes, and specific covered actions.
Practical effects and tradeoffs:
Transparency gain: Provides standardized, public data on enforcement activity, which helps oversight, research, and public understanding of foreign influence enforcement.
Administrative burden: DOJ will need processes and systems to produce yearly machine-readable reports with the required fields; compiling retroactive data for the five-year lookback may require additional staff time.
Potential reputational and legal implications: Individuals named in enforcement records or covered by the reporting requirement could face reputational impact even if actions did not result in charges or convictions; the requirement to report past actions could surface previously unpublished or unresolved matters.
Fiscal impact: No direct appropriation or funding in the text summarized; any increased DOJ costs would likely be absorbed within existing budgets unless Congress funds additional resources separately.
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Introduced March 12, 2025 by Charles Ernest Grassley · Last progress March 12, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Introduced in Senate