SB1757 foreign principals; lobbyists; registration; fund

Plain English Breakdown

The effective date is not provided in the source material; only that it passed both chambers and reached final enrollment.

SB1757: Rules for Foreign Lobbyists in Arizona

This law requires foreign principals to register with state officials and pay fees if they hire lobbyists, while creating a special fund to manage these costs.

What This Bill Does

Requires foreign principals to submit their lobbying registration lists to the Department of Homeland Security.
Mandates that foreign principals reregister every odd-numbered year by January or file updates within five business days if information changes.
Orders lobbyists working for foreign groups to tell legislators and public officials they are representing a foreign client.
Creates penalties, including class 1 misdemeanor charges, for people who knowingly break these rules or submit false information.
Establishes the Foreign Principal Lobbyist Registration Fund to hold fees collected from registering entities.

Who It Names or Affects

Foreign principals such as foreign governments, political parties, and companies owned by non-U.S. interests.
Lobbyists who are paid or designated to work on behalf of these foreign groups in Arizona.
The Arizona Department of Homeland Security, which manages the registration process and database.

Terms To Know

Foreign Principal: A government from another country, a foreign political party, or any person or business outside the U.S. that is not fully owned by Americans living in the U.S., including entities at least thirty percent owned by foreign interests.
Class 1 Misdemeanor: The most serious type of minor crime under Arizona law for knowingly breaking this registration rule or submitting false information.

Limits and Unknowns

The specific dollar amount for the registration fee is not set in this text and will be decided by the Department.
This bill does not state when it officially becomes effective, only that it passed the legislature.
The law exempts the department from normal rulemaking procedures for one year after the effective date.

Official Summary Text

SB1757 - foreign principals; lobbyists; registration; fund

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SB1757 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
foreign principals; lobbyists;
registration; fund

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SB 1757

Introduced by

Senator
Carroll

AN
ACT

Amending title 41, chapter 41, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding sections 41-4259 and 41-4260; relating to
the arizona department of homeland security.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 41, chapter 41, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding sections 41-4259 and 41-4260,
to read:

START_STATUTE
41-4259.

Duty to register; foreign principles; lobbyists; violation;
classification; enforcement; fees; definitions

A. Notwithstanding any other law, A
foreign principal shall submit to the Department a copy of the foreign
principal's lobbying registration and a list of THE FOREIGN PRINCIPAL'S current
lobbyists pursuant to section 41-1232.

B. Each foreign principal shall
reregister not later than 5:00 p.m. on the second Monday in January of each odd-numbered
year unless at that time the foreign principal no longer engages, employs,
retains or uses any lobbyist. beginning December 1 of each even-numbered
year, A foreign principal shall file its registration at any time. Each foreign
principal shall amend its registration statement within five business days
after any change in the information required by subsection A of this section.

C. The Department shall post publicly
on its website a database of all
foreign principals
and
each FOREIGN PRINCIPAL'S lobbyists in this state.

D. A person who is a designated
lobbyist, lobbyist for compensation or authorized lobbyist for a foreign
principal in this state shall disclose that fact to all of the following:

1. Any legislator the person is
lobbying for the first time or on any subsequent request of a legislator.

2. Any public official or employee of
a public body each time the person is lobbying for the procurement of
materials, services or construction in this state. The person shall also
disclose the name of that person's client.

E. A person is guilty of a class 1
MISDEMEANOR if either of the following occurs:

1. A person knowingly violates this
section.

2. a person knowingly submits any
information prescribed in this section that contains any materially false
statement or material omission.

F. Any alleged violation of this
section may be investigated and prosecuted by the attorney general or by the
county attorney of the county in which the alleged offense occurred.

G. The director shall:

1. Prescribe and publish the
registration and registration amendment forms to carry out this section.

2. Refer to the attorney general or
county attorney to INVESTIGATE any matter in which the director has reason to
believe constitutes a violation of this section.

H. The Department may adopt rules,
develop forms and implement procedures as necessary to implement this section.

I. Each foreign principal that
registers a lobbyist for compensation or a designated lobbyist who receives
compensation for lobbying from the foreign principal, at the time of
registering or reregistering, shall pay a registration or reregistration fee
set by the Department. The Department shall deposit, pursuant to
sections 35-146 and 35-147, Registration and reregistration fees
collected in the foreign principal lobbyist registration fund established by
section 41-4260.

J. For the purposes of this section:

1. "Authorized lobbyist"
has the same meaning prescribed in section 41-1231.

2. "Designated lobbyist"
has the same meaning prescribed in section 41-1231.

3. "Foreign PRINCIPAL"
means any of the following:

(
a
) a
government of a foreign country.

(
b
) a foreign
political party.

(
c
) a person
outside of the United States, unless it is established that the person is an
individual and a citizen of and domiciled within the United States, or that the
person is not an individual and is organized under or created by the laws of
the United States or of any State or other place subject to the jurisdiction of
the United States and has its principal place of business within the United
States.

(
d
) a
partnership, association, corporation, organization or other combination of
persons organized under the laws of, or having its principal place of business
in, a foreign country.

(
e
) A partnership,
association, corporation, organization or other combination of persons that is
at least thirty percent owned by a partnership, association, corporation,
organization or other combination of persons organized under the laws of, or
having its principal place of business in, a foreign country.

4. "Lobbyist" has the same
meaning prescribed in section 41-1231.

5. "Lobbyist for
compensation" has the same meaning prescribed in section 41-1231.
END_STATUTE

START_STATUTE
41-4260.

Foreign principal lobbyist registration fund

The Foreign principal lobbyist registration fund
is established consisting of legislative appropriations and fees collected by
the department pursuant to section 41-4259. The department shall
administer the fund.� monies in the fund are subject to LEGISLATIVE
APPROPRIATION and are exempt from the provisions of section 35-190 relating to
lapsing of appropriations.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 2.
Exemption from rulemaking

Notwithstanding any other law, for the
purposes of this act, the Arizona department of homeland security is exempt
from the rulemaking requirements of title 41, chapter 6, Arizona Revised
Statutes, for one year after the effective date of this act.