Federal

PAID OFF Act of 2023

Source: Congress.gov · 362 words in original text

What This Bill Does

This bill changes rules under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (a federal law that requires people working on behalf of foreign governments to register with the government). The bill removes certain exemptions (exceptions to the registration rules) for agents working for specific countries that the bill identifies as "countries of concern."

Who It Affects

People and organizations that work on behalf of the following foreign governments: the People's Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Republic of Cuba, and the Syrian Arab Republic.

Key Provisions

• The bill creates a new definition of "country of concern" that includes six specific countries: the People's Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Republic of Cuba, and the Syrian Arab Republic (Sec. 2(a)). • Agents working for these six countries cannot use exemptions under subsections (d)(1) and (h) of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, meaning they cannot avoid registering under those specific loopholes (Sec. 2(b)). • These changes expire automatically on October 1, 2026 (Sec. 2(c)).

What Changes

Agents working for the six named countries will lose the ability to use two specific exemptions from the foreign agent registration requirements.

Important Definitions

The bill defines "country of concern" as six specific nations: the People's Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Republic of Cuba, and the Syrian Arab Republic.

I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1099 To amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended, to modify requirements under that Act relating to exemptions, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 17, 2023 Mr. PFLUGER (for himself and Mr. CROW) 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 modify requirements under that Act re- lating to exemptions, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Preventing Adversary 4 Influence, Disinformation, and Obscured Foreign Financ- 5 ing Act of 2023’’ or the ‘‘PAID OFF Act of 2023’’. 6 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:33 Mar 10, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1099.IH H1099 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 1099 IH SEC. 2. TREATMENT OF EXEMPTIONS UNDER FARA. 1 (a) DEFINITION.—Section 1 of the Foreign Agents 2 Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 611) 3 is amended by adding at the end the following: 4 ‘‘(q) The term ‘country of concern’ means— 5 ‘‘(1) the People’s Republic of China; 6 ‘‘(2) the Russian Federation; 7 ‘‘(3) the Islamic Republic of Iran; 8 ‘‘(4) the Democratic People’s Republic of 9 Korea; 10 ‘‘(5) the Republic of Cuba; and 11 ‘‘(6) the Syrian Arab Republic.’’. 12 (b) EXEMPTIONS.—Section 3 of the Foreign Agents 13 Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 613), 14 is amended, in the matter preceding subsection (a), by in- 15 serting ‘‘, except that the exemptions under subsections 16 (d)(1) and (h) shall not apply to any agent of a foreign 17 principal that is a country of concern’’ before the colon. 18 (c) SUNSET.—The amendments made by subsections 19 (a) and (b) shall terminate on October 1, 2026. 20 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:33 Mar 10, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H1099.IH H1099 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS

Important: This plain English summary was generated by AI and is provided for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice. Always consult the official bill text on Congress.gov or a qualified attorney for legal matters.