Last week, a bipartisan, bicameral group of legislators introduced the Retroactive Foreign Agents Registration Act (“RFARA”) in the U.S. Congress. Led by Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) of the U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, the bill would amend the Foreign Agents
Continue Reading Congress Introduces Retroactive Foreign Agents Registration Act in Response to Wynn Decisionlegislation
Senate Passes Two FARA-Related Bills
By Derek Lawlor & Alex Langton on
On Thursday, the Senate passed two bills — The Lobbying Disclosure Improvement Act (S. 264) and Disclosing Foreign Influence in Lobbying Act (S. 289) — that attempt to increase disclosure of Foreign Agents Registration Act (“FARA”) activity through amendments to the Lobbying Disclosure Act (“LDA”). The…
Continue Reading Senate Passes Two FARA-Related BillsSen. Grassley’s Unsuccessful Effort to Pass FARA Reform Legislation Leads to Bipartisan Commitment for Comprehensive Review of the Law
By Robert Kelner & Brian D. Smith on
Posted in Foreign Agents Registration Act
On Wednesday, December 16, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sought, and failed to achieve, unanimous consent to pass legislation that would have granted significant new powers to the Department of Justice to enforce compliance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act. In objecting to passage, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) said that the…
Continue Reading Sen. Grassley’s Unsuccessful Effort to Pass FARA Reform Legislation Leads to Bipartisan Commitment for Comprehensive Review of the Law
A Review of Pending FARA Reform Bills
By Zachary G. Parks on
Posted in Foreign Agents Registration Act
In recent months, Congress’s efforts to reform dramatically the Foreign Agents Registration Act (“FARA”) have picked up steam. As we explained in our recent FARA guide, FARA is a complex and broadly worded criminal statute that requires any “agent of a foreign principal” to register with the Department of…
Continue Reading A Review of Pending FARA Reform Bills
House of Representatives Seeks to Strengthen Subpoena Enforcement Dramatically
By Brian D. Smith on
Posted in Congressional Investigations
In late October, the House of Representatives quietly approved a bill that would dramatically strengthen Congress’s procedures for enforcing congressional subpoenas. In adopting the bill, the bipartisan leadership of the House Judiciary Committee highlighted the challenges that Congress faces in obtaining materials from executive branch agencies. Significant portions of the…
Continue Reading House of Representatives Seeks to Strengthen Subpoena Enforcement Dramatically
Grassley Legislation Would (Re)Impose FARA Obligations on Private Sector Entities
By Brian D. Smith on
Posted in Foreign Agents Registration Act
With the Foreign Agents Registration Act in the news and public awareness of this formerly obscure statute at an all-time high, Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) introduced legislation last week to revise the statute significantly, including reversing a decision Congress made in 1995 to remove most private sector reporting from FARA…
Continue Reading Grassley Legislation Would (Re)Impose FARA Obligations on Private Sector Entities