H.R. 8809

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8809 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8809

To amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended to 
clarify the definition of ``foreign principal'' and ensure transparency 
in lobbying on behalf of foreign interests.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 14, 2026

Mr. Massie introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended to 
clarify the definition of ``foreign principal'' and ensure transparency 
in lobbying on behalf of foreign interests.

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 ``Americans Insist on Political Agent 
Clarity Act'' or the ``AIPAC Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:
(1) The Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended 
(22 U.S.C. 611 et seq.) serves compelling interests in national 
security and transparency.
(2) Disclosure requirements do not abridge free speech or 
association, as upheld in Meese v. Keene (1987) as well as 
Attorney General v. Irish Northern Aid Committee (1972).
(3) Entities engaged in substantial advocacy aligned with 
foreign state interests should disclose such alignment to the 
public.

SEC. 3. CLARIFICATION OF FOREIGN PRINCIPAL STATUS.

(a) Definition of Foreign Principal.--Section 1(b) of the Foreign 
Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 611(b)) is 
amended--
(1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and'' after ``United 
States;'';
(2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the end and 
inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
``(4) any organization, association, corporation, or other 
entity--
``(A) that is organized under the laws of the 
United States or any State;
``(B) that does not directly receive funding or 
instruction from a foreign government, recognized 
state-affiliated political entities, or foreign entity 
otherwise described in paragraph (1), (2), or (3);
``(C) whose lobbying activities or stated mission 
is, either wholly or in part, to influence United 
States public policy or government action in 
furtherance of the political or economic interests of a 
foreign country or recognized state-affiliated 
political entity; and
``(D) where such foreign country or recognized 
state-affiliated political entity is identified as a 
principal beneficiary of such lobbying activity as 
demonstrated by a preponderance of objective indicia, 
including--
``(i) repeated advocacy of legislation or 
executive action that aligns with the foreign 
country's official diplomatic objectives;
``(ii) coordination with foreign officials 
or foreign-funded institutions;
``(iii) receipt of material support, 
strategic direction, or advisory participation 
by persons domiciled or operating in a foreign 
country; or
``(iv) the namesake of the lobbying 
activity includes the name of a foreign 
nation.''.
(b) Private Right of Action.--Section 8 of the Foreign Agents 
Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 618) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(i) Any citizen of the United States may file a complaint with 
the Department of Justice requesting investigation of potential 
violations of this Act by an agent of a foreign principal (as described 
in section 1(b)(4)).''.

SEC. 4. IMPLEMENTATION GUIDANCE.

Not later than 180 days after the enactment of this Act, the 
Attorney General shall issue public guidance to clarify the application 
of the amended definition of ``foreign principal'' under section 
1(b)(4) of the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 
U.S.C. 611(b)(4)), which shall include illustrative examples, objective 
indicia of foreign political alignment, and compliance expectations for 
affected organizations.
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