Get Foreign Money Out of United States Elections Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9874 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9874

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to apply the ban on
 contributions and expenditures by foreign nationals under such Act to
  foreign-controlled, foreign-influenced, and foreign-owned domestic
               business entities, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 22, 2026

 Mr. Raskin (for himself, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Norton, Mr. Moulton, Mr.
Goldman of New York, Mr. Lynch, Mr. Golden of Maine, Mrs. Ramirez, Mr.
Deluzio, Mr. Pocan, Ms. Brownley, Ms. McCollum, Ms. Castor of Florida,
 Ms. Ross, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. Casar, Mr. Neguse, Ms. Wasserman Schultz,
Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Crow, Mr. Carson, Ms. Perez, Ms. Stansbury,
 Ms. Craig, Mr. Carbajal, Mr. Khanna, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mr. Quigley, Ms.
 Ansari, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Mr. Levin, Ms. Goodlander,
Mr. Boyle of Pennsylvania, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Lieu, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Davis
  of Illinois, Mrs. Trahan, Ms. Sanchez, Mr. Tonko, Ms. Salinas, Ms.
  Simon, Mr. Case, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Garcia of
Illinois, Mr. Pappas, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Johnson
 of Georgia, Mr. Riley of New York, Ms. Budzinski, Mrs. Grijalva, Ms.
Kelly of Illinois, Mr. Vindman, Mr. Hernandez, Mr. Green of Texas, Ms.
   Dexter, Ms. McDonald Rivet, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, Mr. Evans of
 Pennsylvania, Ms. Pingree, Mrs. Torres of California, Mr. Cohen, Ms.
 Ocasio-Cortez, Ms. Tokuda, Mr. Takano, Ms. Jayapal, and Ms. Hoyle of
   Oregon) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
                   Committee on House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to apply the ban on
 contributions and expenditures by foreign nationals under such Act to
  foreign-controlled, foreign-influenced, and foreign-owned domestic
               business entities, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Get Foreign Money Out of United
States Elections Act''.

SEC. 2. APPLICATION OF BAN ON CONTRIBUTIONS AND EXPENDITURES BY FOREIGN
              NATIONALS TO DOMESTIC BUSINESS ENTITIES THAT ARE FOREIGN-
              CONTROLLED, FOREIGN-INFLUENCED, AND FOREIGN-OWNED.

    (a) Application of Ban.--Section 319(b) of the Federal Election
Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30121(b)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``or'' at the end of paragraph (1);
            (2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (2) and
        inserting a semicolon; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
            ``(3) any business entity in which a foreign national
        located outside of the United States and described in
        paragraphs (1) or (2) directly or indirectly owns or controls
        or otherwise holds direct or indirect beneficial ownership of
        50 percent or more of the voting shares, total equity,
        membership units, or other applicable ownership interests of
        the entity; or
            ``(4) any business entity which is not described in
        paragraph (1), and--
                    ``(A) in which a foreign national located outside
                of the United States and described in paragraph (1),
                (2), or (3) directly or indirectly owns or controls or
                otherwise holds direct or indirect beneficial ownership
                of 1 percent or more of the voting shares, total
                equity, membership units, or other applicable ownership
                units of the entity;
                    ``(B) in which two or more foreign nationals
                located outside of the United States and described in
                paragraph (1), (2), or (3), in the aggregate, directly
                or indirectly own or control or otherwise hold direct
                or indirect beneficial ownership of 5 percent or more
                of the voting shares, total equity, membership units,
                or other applicable ownership interests of the entity;
                    ``(C) with respect to which one or more foreign
                nationals located outside of the United States and
                described in paragraph (1), (2), or (3) have the power
                to direct, dictate, or control the decisionmaking
                process of the entity with respect to its interests in
                the United States; or
                    ``(D) with respect to which one or more foreign
                nationals located outside of the United States and
                described in paragraph (1), (2), or (3) have the power
                to direct, dictate, or control the decisionmaking
                process of the entity with respect to activities in
                connection with any election described in subsection
                (a)(1)(A), including--
                            ``(i) the making of a contribution,
                        donation, expenditure, independent expenditure,
                        or disbursement for an electioneering
                        communication (within the meaning of section
                        304(f)(3)); or
                            ``(ii) the administration of a political
                        committee established or maintained by the
                        entity.''.
    (b) Certification of Compliance.--Section 319 of such Act (52
U.S.C. 30121) is amended by adding at the end the following new
subsection:
    ``(c) Certification of Compliance Required for Carrying Out
Election Activity by Business Entity.--
            ``(1) Certification required.--Not later than 7 days after
        a business entity makes any contribution, donation,
        expenditure, independent expenditure, disbursement for an
        electioneering communication, or any disbursement in connection
        with an election described in subsection (a)(1)(A), the chief
        executive officer of the entity (or, if the entity does not
        have a chief executive officer, the highest ranking official of
        the entity), shall file a certification with the Commission,
        under penalty of perjury, avowing that after due inquiry, the
        entity was not a foreign national on the date the entity made
        the contribution, donation, expenditure, independent
        expenditure, or disbursement.
            ``(2) Determination of beneficial ownership.--A business
        entity shall determine beneficial ownership for purposes of
        this section in a manner consistent with applicable State law,
        except that if the entity is registered pursuant to section
        12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78l),
        the entity shall determine beneficial ownership in accordance
        with section 13(d) of that Act (15 U.S.C. 78m(d)).
            ``(3) Provision to recipients.--The business entity shall
        provide a copy of the certification filed under paragraph (1)
        to each political committee to which it makes a contribution,
        and, upon the request of the recipient, to each recipient of a
        contribution, donation, expenditure, independent expenditure,
        or disbursement with respect to which the certification under
        paragraph (1) is filed.''.
    (c) Prevention of Circumvention.--Section 319 of such Act (52
U.S.C. 30121), as amended by subsection (b), is amended by adding at
the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d) Prohibiting Use of Funds From Business Entities Without
Certification.--
            ``(1) Prohibition.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), it
        shall be unlawful for any person that receives from a business
        entity a contribution, donation, expenditure, independent
        expenditure, or disbursement with respect to which the business
        entity is required to file a certification of compliance under
        subsection (c) to use that contribution, donation, expenditure,
        independent expenditure, or disbursement, directly or
        indirectly, to--
                    ``(A) make such a contribution, donation,
                expenditure, independent expenditure, or disbursement;
                or
                    ``(B) contribute, donate, transfer, or otherwise
                convey such a contribution, donation, expenditure,
                independent expenditure, or disbursement to another
                person for use as such a contribution, donation,
                expenditure, independent expenditure, or disbursement.
            ``(2) Exception for funds accompanied by certification.--
        Paragraph (1) does not apply to a person that receives from a
        business entity a contribution, donation, expenditure,
        independent expenditure, or disbursement described in such
        paragraph if--
                    ``(A) the person receives from the business entity
                a copy of the certification of compliance under
                subsection (c) with respect to such contribution,
                donation, expenditure, independent expenditure, or
                disbursement;
                    ``(B) the use by the person of the contribution,
                donation, expenditure, independent expenditure, or
                disbursement is otherwise lawful; and
                    ``(C) the person separately designates, records,
                and accounts for the contribution, donation,
                expenditure, independent expenditure, or disbursement,
                and ensures that disbursements by the person for a
                contribution, donation, expenditure, independent
                expenditure, disbursement for an electioneering
                communication, or any disbursement in connection with
                an election described in subsection (a)(1)(A) are only
                made from funds that comply with the requirements of
                this section.
            ``(3) Good faith reliance on certification of compliance.--
        For purposes of this subsection, a person may rely in good
        faith on a certification of compliance provided to the person
        under subsection (c)(3).''.
    (d) Business Entity Defined.--Section 319 of such Act (52 U.S.C.
30121), as amended by subsection (b) and subsection (c), is amended by
adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(e) Business Entity Defined.--For purposes of this section, the
term `business entity' means a for-profit corporation, limited
liability corporation, partnership, company, limited partnership,
business trust, business association, or other similar for-profit
entity.''.
    (e) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take
effect upon the expiration of the 180-day period which begins on the
date of the enactment of this Act, and shall take effect without regard
to whether or not the Federal Election Commission has promulgated
regulations to carry out such amendments.

SEC. 3. CLARIFICATION OF APPLICATION OF FOREIGN MONEY BAN TO CERTAIN
              DISBURSEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES.

    (a) Application to Disbursements in Connection With State and Local
Ballot Initiatives and Disbursements to Super PACs.--Section
319(a)(1)(A) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C.
30121(a)(1)(A)) is amended by striking ``election;'' and inserting
``election (including a State or local ballot initiative, referendum,
or recall election), including any disbursement to a political
committee which accepts donations or contributions that do not comply
with the limitations, prohibitions, or reporting requirements of this
Act (or any disbursement to or on behalf of any account of a political
committee which is established for the purpose of accepting such
donations or contributions);''.
    (b) Conditions Under Which Corporate PACs May Make Contributions
and Expenditures.--Section 316(b) of such Act (52 U.S.C. 30118(b)) is
amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(8) A separate segregated fund established by a corporation may
not make a contribution or expenditure during a year unless the fund
has certified to the Commission each of the following during the year:
            ``(A) Each individual who manages the fund, and who is
        responsible for exercising decisionmaking authority for the
        fund, is a citizen of the United States or is lawfully admitted
        for permanent residence in the United States.
            ``(B) No foreign national under section 319 participates in
        any way in the decisionmaking processes of the fund with regard
        to contributions or expenditures under this Act.
            ``(C) The fund does not solicit or accept recommendations
        from any foreign national under section 319 with respect to the
        contributions or expenditures made by the fund.
            ``(D) Any member of the board of directors of the
        corporation who is a foreign national under section 319
        abstains from voting on matters concerning the fund or its
        activities.''.
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