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1 1 (March 7, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govxzq0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Foreign Agents Registration Act: An Overview In 1938, the Foreign Agents Registration Act (22 U.S.C. §§611-621; FARA) was enacted to require individuals doing political or advocacy work on behalf of foreign entities in the United States to register with the Department of Justice and to disclose their relationship, activities, receipts, and disbursements in support of their activities. The FARA does not prohibit any specific activities; rather it seeks to require registration and disclosure of them. According to the most recently available data, more than 400 active FARA registrants represent more than 600 foreign principals. The Foreign Agents Registration Act provides the public with an opportunity to be informed of the identity of persons engaging in political activities on behalf of foreign governments, foreign political parties and other foreign principals, so that their activities can be evaluated in light of their associations. -U.S. Department of justice, Report of the Attorney General to the Congress on the Administration of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, June 2012 ackground In the years prior to World War II, Congress conducted several investigations into lobbying and foreign propaganda by Axis nations, specifically a large number of German propaganda agents operating in the United States. Upon the recommendation of the 73rd Congress's (1934-1935) Special Committee on Un-American Activities, the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), as initially conceived, would not prohibit political propaganda activities, but rather require that individuals engaged in propaganda on behalf of foreign governments and principals register with the government and disclose information about their clients, activities, and contract terms. In 1966, FARA was amended to shift the focus from political propagandists to agents representing the economic interests of foreign principals. These amendments were partially the result of an investigation by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee into foreign sugar interests and other lobbying activities. The 1966 amendments changed several definitions in the law, prohibited contingent fee contracts, broadened exemptions to ensure legitimate commercial activities were not burdened, strengthened provisions for the disclosure and labeling of propaganda, and required the Department of Justice to issue regulations on the act (28 C.F.R. §5.1 et seq.). Updated March 7, 2019 Who Is a Foreign Principal? Pursuant to FARA (22 U.S.C. §611(b)(2)), foreign principals include (1) a government of a foreign country and a foreign political party; (2) a person outside of the United States, unless it is established that such person is an individual and a citizen of and domiciled within the United States, or is not an individual and is organized under or created by the law of the United States ... and has its principal place of business within the United States; or (3) a partnership, association, corporation, organization, or other combination of persons organized under the law or having its principal place of business in a foreign country. Several exemptions exist to exclude media, news, and press services incorporated in the United States. This includes newspapers, magazines, periodicals, and other publications that file periodic disclosure statements with the U.S. Postal Service pursuant to 39 U.S.C. §3685. Registration and Disclosure Requirements FARA requires that individuals who represent a foreign principal must file, under oath, a registration statement within 10 days of becoming an agent of that entity. Pursuant to 22 U.S.C. §612, a registration statement must include * registrant's name and both personal and business addresses; * registrant's status, including nationality for all individuals, partnerships, and corporate directors or officers; * statement of the nature of registrant's business, including a complete list of employees and the nature of their work; * copies of the registrant's written agreement with a foreign principal and conditions for all oral agreements; * nature and amount of contributions, income, money or other items of value received from a foreign principal; * detailed statement of spending connected with activities for the foreign principal; and * certification that statements made and documents filed are accurate. Public Disclosure Database The Attorney General is required under 22 U.S.C. §616(d) to maintain a public database of registration statements required under FARA. This database is publically available on the Department of Justice, FARA website under https://crsreports.congress.gov

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