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HB358 INTRODUCED
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HB358
2JVVRIK-1
By Representatives Oliver, Hurst, Brinyark, Barnes, Brown,
Marques, Sorrells, Allbright, Stringer, DuBose
RFD: Ethics and Campaign Finance
First Read: 29-Jan-26
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2JVVRIK-1 01/29/2026 PMG (L)cr 2025-3783
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First Read: 29-Jan-26
SYNOPSIS:
This bill would require agents of hostile
foreign principals who engage in political activity in
this state and foreign supported political
organizations that engage in political activity in this
state to register with the Secretary of State.
This bill would provide for the information that
must be included on registration forms and require
periodic registration updates.
This bill would authorize the Secretary of State
to impose civil penalties for violations of this act.
This bill would authorize persons upon whom a
civil penalty is imposed to appeal to the State Ethics
Commission.
This bill would authorize the State Ethics
Commission to reduce or set aside a civil penalty.
This bill would also define terms.
A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
Relating to political activity; to require certain
agents of hostile foreign principals and foreign supported
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agents of hostile foreign principals and foreign supported
political organizations to register with the Secretary of
State; to establish registration requirements; to authorize
the Secretary of State to impose civil penalties; and to
authorize the State Ethics Commission to hear appeals.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. The Legislature finds all of the following:
(1) The voters, residents, and policymakers of Alabama
are entitled to transparency in the political and propaganda
activities of organizations that may be controlled by or under
the influence of foreign countries hostile to the interests of
the United States and the State of Alabama.
(2) In an increasingly globalized world, determining
whether an organization's political and propaganda activities
are funded by hostile foreign interests is often difficult.
(3) Legislation is needed to ensure the transparency
necessary to allow voters, residents, and policymakers to
evaluate whether political and propaganda activities are
funded by potentially hostile foreign actors.
Section 2. As used in this act, the following terms
have the following meanings:
(1) AGENT OF A HOSTILE FOREIGN PRINCIPAL. Any person
who acts as an agent, employee, representative, or servant, or
otherwise acts at the order, request, or under the direction
or control of a hostile foreign principal: (i) whose actions
are financed in whole or in part by a hostile foreign
principal; and (ii) who engages in political activity.
(2) COMMISSION. The State Ethics Commission.
(3) FOREIGN SUPPORTED POLITICAL ORGANIZATION. A
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(3) FOREIGN SUPPORTED POLITICAL ORGANIZATION. A
political organization or partnership, committee, association,
corporation, limited liability company, limited liability
partnership, trust, professional corporation, or any other
combination of persons that has, within the past five calendar
years, received money or other things of value from a hostile
foreign principal or an agent of a hostile foreign principal
and which engages in political activity. The term does not
include an industry, trade, or professional association that
exists to promote the interests of its members, or any
affiliated organization.
(4) HOSTILE FOREIGN COUNTRY. All of the following:
a. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
b. The Islamic Republic of Iran.
c. The People's Republic of China.
d. The Russian Federation.
(5) HOSTILE FOREIGN PRINCIPAL. Any of the following:
a. A government of a hostile foreign country, a
political party of a hostile foreign country, or any member of
a political party, body, or organization of a hostile foreign
country.
b. A nonresident alien of a hostile foreign country.
c. A partnership, committee, association, corporation,
limited liability company, limited liability partnership,
trust, professional corporation, or any other combination of
persons organized under the law of or having its principal
place of business in a hostile foreign country.
d. A domestic partnership, association, corporation,
organization, or other combination of persons that is at least
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organization, or other combination of persons that is at least
20 percent beneficially owned by a hostile foreign country, a
nonresident alien of a hostile foreign country, or an entity
organized under the laws of or having its principal place of
business in a hostile foreign country.
(6) POLITICAL ACTIVITY. Any activity that is performed
to influence any agency or public official of the state,
county, or municipality, or any state or local political
subdivision, or to influence the public within the state,
relating to the formulation, adoption, or change in the
policies or laws of the state or electing or opposing a
candidate for state or local public office.
Section 3. (a) No person shall act as an agent of a
hostile foreign principal unless he or she has filed with the
Secretary of State a true and complete registration statement
as required by this act. Every person who becomes an agent of
a hostile foreign principal, within 10 days of becoming an
agent, shall file with the Secretary of State a registration
statement, under oath, on a form prescribed by the Secretary
of State. The obligation of an agent of a hostile foreign
principal to file a registration statement shall continue from
day to day, and termination of that status shall not relieve
the agent from his or her obligation to file a registration
statement for the period during which he or she was an agent
of a hostile foreign principal. The registration statement
shall include all of the following, which shall be regarded as
material for the purposes of this section:
(1) The registrant's name, principal business address,
and all other business addresses in the United States or
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and all other business addresses in the United States or
elsewhere, and all residence addresses, if any.
(2) The status of the registrant as follows:
a. If an individual, his or her nationality.
b. If a partnership, the name, residence addresses, and
nationality of each partner, as well as a true and complete
copy of its articles of copartnership.
c. If an association, corporation, organization, or any
other combination of individuals or entities, the name,
residence addresses, and nationality of each director and
officer and of each individual performing the functions of a
director or officer, a true and complete copy of its charter,
articles of incorporation, association, constitution, and
bylaws and amendments thereto; a copy of every other
instrument or document and a statement of the terms and
conditions of every oral agreement relating to its
organization, powers, and purposes, and a statement of its
ownership and control.
(3) A comprehensive statement of the nature of the
registrant's business, including a complete list of
registrant's employees.
(4) A statement of the nature of the work of each
hostile foreign principal for whom the registrant is acting,
assuming or purporting to act, or has agreed to act, the
character of the business, or other activities of every
hostile foreign principal. If a hostile foreign principal is
an entity other than a natural person, the statement shall
also detail the ownership and control to which the hostile
foreign principal is supervised, directed, owned, controlled,
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foreign principal is supervised, directed, owned, controlled,
financed, or subsidized, in whole or in part, by any
government of a foreign country or foreign political party, or
by any other hostile foreign principal.
(5) The nature and amount of contributions, income,
money, or things of value, if any, that the registrant has
received within the preceding 60 days from each hostile
foreign principal, either as compensation or for disbursement
or otherwise, and the form and time of each payment and from
whom received.
(6) A detailed statement of every activity that the
registrant is performing or is assuming or purporting or has
agreed to perform for himself or herself or any other person
other than a hostile foreign principal and that requires
registration pursuant to this act.
(7) With regard to any person other than a hostile
foreign principal for whom the registrant is acting, assuming
or purporting to act, or has agreed to act under circumstances
that would require his or her registration under this section,
all of the following:
a. The name, business, and residence addresses, and if
an individual, the nationality, of the person.
b. The nature and amount of contributions, income,
money, or things of value, if any, that the registrant has
received during the preceding 60 days from the person in
connection with any of the person's activities.
(8) A detailed statement of the money and other things
of value spent or disposed of by the registrant during the
preceding 60 days in furtherance of or in connection with
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preceding 60 days in furtherance of or in connection with
activities that require the registrant's registration under
this section and that have been undertaken by the registrant
either as an agent of a hostile foreign principal or for
himself or herself or any other person or in connection with
any activities relating to the registrant becoming an agent of
the principal.
(9) A detailed statement of any contributions of money
or other things of value made by the registrant during the
preceding 60 days to bring about the nomination or election of
a candidate for any office or to bring about the approval or
rejection by the voters of any proposed constitutional
amendment.
(10) Such other statements, information, or documents
pertinent to the purposes of this section as the Secretary of
State may from time to time require.
(b) Every agent of a hostile foreign principal who has
filed a registration statement required by subsection (a),
within 30 days after the expiration of each six-month period
succeeding such filing, shall file with the Secretary of State
a supplement thereto, under oath, on a form prescribed by the
Secretary of State, which shall set forth with respect to the
preceding six-month period such facts as the Secretary of
State may deem necessary to make the information required
under subsection (a) accurate, complete, and current with
respect to that period.
(c) An agent of a hostile foreign principal shall
update the information required by subsection (b) with the
Secretary of State every 90 days.
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Secretary of State every 90 days.
(d) The registration statement shall be executed under
oath as follows:
(1) If the registrant is an individual, by him or her.
(2) If the registrant is a partnership, by the majority
of the members thereof.
(3) If the registrant is a person other than an
individual or a partnership, by a majority of the officers
thereof or persons performing the functions of officers or by
a majority of the board of directors thereof or persons
performing the functions of directors, if any.
(e) A registration statement or supplement required to
be filed under this section shall be filed in electronic form,
in addition to any other form that may be required by the
Secretary of State.
Section 4. (a) No later than December 31 annually, each
foreign supported political organization operating within the
state shall register with the Secretary of State and provide
all of the following information:
(1) The name of the foreign supported political
organization, its business address, and the names, titles, and
addresses of all officers and directors of the foreign
supported political organization.
(2) If the foreign supported political organization is
affiliated with or a chapter of a national organization, the
name of the national organization, its address, and the names
and addresses of its officers and directors.
(3) A detailed statement of the money and other things
of value spent or disposed of by the foreign supported
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of value spent or disposed of by the foreign supported
political organization during the preceding calendar year in
furtherance of or in connection with activities to influence
any agency or public official, local government entity, or the
public within the State of Alabama, including, but not limited
to, activities related to formulating, adopting, or changing
the policies or laws of this state or electing a candidate to
local or state public office.
(4) A detailed statement of any expenditures of money
or other things of value made by the foreign supported
political organization within the prior calendar year.
(5) A detailed statement of all money or other things
of value received by the foreign supported political
organization from a hostile foreign principal or an agent of a
hostile foreign principal during the preceding calendar year.
(b) A registered foreign supported organization shall
update the information required by subsection (a) with the
Secretary of State every 90 days.
Section 5. Upon receipt of a complaint that an agent of
a hostile foreign principal or a foreign supported political
organization has failed to comply with the registration and
reporting requirements of this act, or upon its own
determination, the Secretary of State shall investigate, and
upon finding a violation, impose civil penalties of up to ten
thousand dollars ($10,000) for failure to timely file a
statement required by this act.
If the Secretary of State finds that a violation was
willful or a repeat violation of this act, the civil penalties
shall be not less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) nor more
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shall be not less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) nor more
than two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) per such
violation.
Section 6. (a) Any person upon whom a civil penalty has
been imposed pursuant to Section 5 may seek a review of the
penalty by filing a written notice with the Secretary of State
no later than 21 days after the date on which notification of
the imposition of the penalty was sent. The Secretary of State
shall refer the review to the State Ethics Commission.
(b) The commission may set aside or reduce a civil
penalty upon a showing of good cause. The person seeking
review shall bear the burden of proof.
Section 7. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
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