Foreign Agents Registration Modernization and Enforcement Act
Latest action · Mar 14, 2017 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
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.
- IntroducedMar 14, 2017
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Foreign Agents Registration Modernization and Enforcement Act
This bill amends the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (FARA) to provide that whenever the Department of Justice (DOJ) has reason to believe that a person or enterprise may be in possession or control of documentary material relevant to an investigation under FARA, the DOJ, before initiating a civil or criminal proceeding with respect to the production of such material, may serve a written demand upon the entity to produce the material for examination.
The bill includes social media communications under information that foreign agents must file with DOJ. Under certain circumstances, social media communications are exempted from the requirement for foreign agents to include a disclosure statement in informational materials. Informational materials disseminated by a foreign agent as part of an activity that would not require registration, need not be filed.
The FARA Registration Unit shall submit a semiannual report to Congress regarding the administration of FARA, including the number of investigations initiated based upon a perceived violation and the number of such investigations that were referred to DOJ for prosecution.
Cosponsors 4
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Mar 14, 2017 to Aug 3, 2017; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-IN | Todd Young | Original | Mar 14, 2017 |
| D-MN | Amy Klobuchar | Mar 21, 2017 | |
| D-MD | Chris Van Hollen | Mar 21, 2017 | |
| D-IL | Tammy Duckworth | Aug 3, 2017 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Foreign Relations Committee | Referred Mar 14, 2017 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Mar 14, 2017Introduced in Senate
- Mar 14, 2017Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
In the Congressional Record 2
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S7074 | Jeanne Shaheen D-NH | Nov 8, 2017 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S2187 | Jeanne Shaheen D-NH | Apr 4, 2017 |
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.
CRS reports 3
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 3
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R46435 | Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA): Background and Issues for Congress | Report | Sep 15, 2026 |
| TE10072 | Enhancing the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 | Testimony | Apr 8, 2022 |
| R45037 | The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA): A Legal Overview Archived | Report | Dec 4, 2017 |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 2811 | Foreign Agents Registration Modernization and Enforcement Act | Identical bill | Jul 12, 2017 |
| HR 6249 | REFUSE Act | Related bill | Jun 27, 2018 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to preserve the integrity of American elections by providing the Attorney General with the investigative tools to identify and prosecute foreign agents who seek to circumvent Federal registration requirements and unlawfully influence the political process.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Foreign Agents Registration Modernization and Enforcement Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: International Affairs.
- Broadcasting, cable, digital technologies
- Civil actions and liability
- Congressional oversight
- Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
- Evidence and witnesses
- Government studies and investigations
- International Affairs
- Internet and video services
- Internet, web applications, social media
- Licensing and registrations
- Marketing and advertising
- News media and reporting
- Public participation and lobbying
- Television and film
- User charges and fees
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Mar 14, 2017Introduced in Senate
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.
