Summary

Narrows exemptions under the Foreign Agents Registration Act so that agents working for corporate or government foreign principals owned or controlled by certain listed countries no longer qualify for those exemptions, and creates a new process for adding or removing countries from that list. The Secretary of State, in consultation with the Attorney General, may propose changes to the country list but those changes only take effect if Congress approves them through a specific joint resolution; the new rules expire five years after enactment.

• Narrows FARA exemptions for agents of corporate or government foreign principals owned or controlled by certain listed countries.
• Authorizes the Secretary of State, after consulting the Attorney General, to propose additions or deletions to the State Department country list used for these rules.
• Requires proposed country-list changes to be submitted to congressional leaders and to take effect only after a joint resolution of approval by Congress.
• Specifies referral of such joint resolutions to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Judiciary Committee.
• Includes a five-year sunset: the amendments expire five years after enactment.
• Shifts some decision-making power over designation timing from the executive branch to Congress by requiring legislative approval for list changes.
• Applies to corporate and government foreign principals owned or controlled by the named countries; other foreign principals are unaffected.
• Does not appropriate funds or create new federal programs; it modifies disclosure and registration requirements under existing law.