Stop Foreign Influence Act
Latest action · Jan 31, 2017 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJan 5, 2017
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Stop Foreign Influence Act
This bill amends the federal criminal code to impose a 10-year post-employment lobbying ban on a former President, Vice President, Member of Congress, or specified intelligence appointee who knowingly represents, or aids or advises, a country of particular concern. The term "country of particular concern" means: (1) a country designated by the Department of State to be of particular concern for religious freedom violations, and (2) any entity owned or controlled by such country.
Additionally, the bill amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to revise the definition of "lobbyist." Currently, a lobbyist is an individual who: (1) is employed or retained by a client for compensation, (2) makes more than one lobbying contact, and (3) spends at least 20% of the time working for that client on lobbying activities. This bill broadens the definition to include, as a lobbyist, an individual who spends less than 20% of the time working for that client on lobbying activities, if the client is a country of particular concern and if the individual is a former President, Vice President, Member of Congress, or specified intelligence appointee.
Cosponsors
Members who signed on, in the order they did.
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Jan 5, 2017 |
| Constitution and Limited Government Subcommittee | Referred Jan 31, 2017 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jan 31, 2017Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
- Jan 5, 2017Introduced in House
- Jan 5, 2017Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the page H184.
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the President, the Vice President, Members of Congress, and other officers of the executive branch from lobbying on behalf of countries designated as countries of particular concern for religious freedom for 10 years after leaving office, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Stop Foreign Influence Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jan 5, 2017Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
