11/09/2017

New Bill Would Toughen Foreign Lobbying Rules

The bill takes aim at toughening the regulations under which lobbyists must comply

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced a bill on Oct. 31 that would toughen some of the disclosure rules for lobbyists working for foreign interests on Capitol Hill.

The Disclosing Foreign Influence Act is meant to strengthen the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), the law that’s intended to prevent undue foreign influence in domestic policy. Grassley’s bill comes after special counsel Robert Mueller accused former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort on Oct. 30 of making a false and misleading FARA disclosure, among other charges. Mueller is also investigating work that Democratic lobbyist Tony Podesta did on behalf of Manafort for a Ukrainian nonprofit.

“Policymakers are here to serve the interests of the American people, so we need to know when someone is pushing the priorities of a foreign interest,” Grassley said in a statement. “Unfortunately, we’ve seen time and again how lobbyists of foreign principals skirt existing disclosure laws to conceal their clients’ identities and agendas.”

Please click here to read the complete article on Associations Now.