HLS 25RS-778 ORIGINAL
2025 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 511
BY REPRESENTATIVE OWEN
Prefiled pursuant to Article III, Section 2(A)(4)(b)(i) of the Constitution of Louisiana.
ETHICS/BOARD: Provides for the registration of foreign adversaries
1 AN ACT
2To amend and reenact R.S. 24:51(3) through (8) and to enact R.S. 24:51(9), 53.1 and 57(6)
3 and R.S. 42:1171, relative to foreign adversary registration requirements; to provide
4 for the definition of a foreign adversary; to provide for additional lobbying
5 registration requirements for a foreign adversary; to provide for requirements to
6 register as a foreign adversary with the board of ethics; to provide for penalties; to
7 provide for rules and regulations; to provide for a web portal at the board of ethics;
8 to provide for data sharing and public access to records; to provide for an effective
9 date; and to provide for related matters.
10Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
11 Section 1. R.S. 24:51(3) through (8) are hereby amended and reenacted and R.S.
1224:51(9), 53.1, and 57(6) are hereby enacted to read as follows:
13 §51. Definitions
14 When used in this Part:
15 * * *
16 (3) "Foreign adversary" means an individual, corporation or a government
17 identified as a foreign adversary in 15 CFR 7.4(a) and identified in the database
18 maintained by the United States Department of the Treasury, office of foreign assets
19 control.
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1 (4) "Legislation" means bills, resolutions, concurrent resolutions, joint
2 resolutions, amendments, nominations, and other matters pending or proposed in
3 either house of the legislature and includes any other matter which may be the
4 subject of action by either house.
5 (4)(5) "Lobbying" or "to lobby" means any of the following:
6 (a) Any direct act or communication with a legislator, the purpose of which
7 is to aid in influencing the passage or defeat of any legislation.
8 (b) Any preparation or research specifically intended, at the time it is
9 performed, for use in or in support of any ongoing or planned direct act or
10 communication with a legislator, the purpose of which is to aid in influencing the
11 passage or defeat of any legislation.
12 (c) Conducting or attending a meeting the purpose of which is to discuss
13 direct communication with a legislator to aid in influencing the passage or defeat of
14 any legislation.
15 (5)(6)(a) "Lobbyist" means either of the following:
16 (i) Any person who is employed or engaged for compensation to act in a
17 representative capacity for the purpose of lobbying if lobbying constitutes one of the
18 principal duties of such employment or engagement.
19 (ii) Any person who acts in a representative capacity and makes an
20 expenditure.
21 (b) However, "lobbyist" shall not mean any person who does not make any
22 direct act or have any direct communication with a legislator for the purpose of
23 influencing the passage or defeat of any legislation.
24 (6)(7) "Person" includes an individual, partnership, committee, association,
25 corporation, and any other organization or group of persons.
26 (7)(8) "Public servant" shall have the same meaning as provided in R.S.
27 42:1102.
28 (8)(9) "Principal duty" means any duty which is expected to account for
29 twenty percent or more of a person's time in fulfilling the terms of his engagement
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1 or any duty which is expected to account for twenty percent or more of a person's
2 time in any given year in performing the responsibilities of his employment.
3 §53.1 Foreign adversary; lobbying registration
4 Any person who registers under R.S. 24:50, et. seq. and who engages in
5 lobbying activity on behalf of a foreign adversary shall fill out an additional
6 registration as provided in R.S. 42:1171.
7 * * *
8 §57. Administration
9 The board, in performance of its duties under this Part, shall:
10 * * *
11 (6) Establish and maintain a searchable electronic database available to the
12 public via the Internet to provide information about persons registered with the board
13 through a web portal maintained on the board's website. The portal shall contain the
14 information about the registrant and the registrant's activities within the state as
15 provided for in this Part and R.S. 42:1171.
16 Section 2. R.S. 42:1171 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
17 §1171. Foreign adversaries; registration
18 A. Every person employed, retained, contracting with or authorized to
19 provide service to a foreign adversary as defined in R.S. 24:531(3) shall, before
20 commencing any activity in Louisiana, file with the board on a form prescribed by
21 the board information which shall include at a minimum, the following:
22 (1) The name, permanent residence address, and office address of the person.
23 (2) The name and address of all of the owners of a corporation represented
24 by the person, regardless of the ownership stake in the corporation.
25 (3) A description of the business activity of a corporation represented by the
26 person.
27 (4) An identification of the matters on which the person expects to conduct
28 influencing activity on behalf of a corporation.
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1 (5) The name and address of any official in the legislative or executive
2 branch and of any members of any official's staff or immediate family, who are
3 employed by the foreign adversary or any person acting on behalf of the foreign
4 adversary if the information is known or reasonably should have been known to the
5 foreign adversary.
6 B. Any person who willfully violates any provision of this Section shall,
7 upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not more than fifty thousand dollars per
8 offense.
9 C. The board shall provide information about foreign adversaries registered
10 with the board through a web portal maintained on the board's website. The portal
11 shall contain the information about the registrant and the registrant's activities within
12 the state.
13 D. The board may send and receive data with government officials in other
14 states in order to increase the transparency and registration compliance of agents of
15 foreign adversaries that operate in multiple states.
16 E. The board may at any time make, prescribe, amend, and rescind such
17 rules, regulations, and forms as it may deem necessary to carry out the provisions of
18 this Section.
19 Section 3. This Act shall become effective on December 1, 2025.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 511 Original 2025 Regular Session Owen
Abstract: Requires a foreign adversary to provide additional registration information to
register as a lobbyist in La. Requires persons who are employed or contracted with
foreign adversaries to register with the board of ethics and provide information
regarding their activities within the state.
Present law provides for the Foreign Agents Registration Act (See 22 U.S.C. §611-621)
which requires the registration of agents of adverse nations and foreign terror organizations
with the U.S. Attorney General.
Proposed law provides that an agent of a foreign adversary shall complete a registration with
the board of ethics which includes contact information, nationality information and
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information relative to the country they reside in and the nature of their business in the state
and whether the business involves political activities.
Proposed law provides for penalties of $50,000 for the willful violation of proposed law.
Proposed law requires the board of ethics to provide information about agents of foreign
adversaries on a web portal maintained on the board's website.
Proposed law allows the board of ethics to send and receive data from government officials
in other states regarding the compliance of agents of foreign adversaries.
Proposed law permits the board of ethics to promulgate rules and regulations necessary to
carry out the provisions of proposed law.
Present law provides for the definitions of "board", "expenditure", "legislation", "lobbying",
"lobbyist", "person", "public servant" and "principal duty" as used in La. lobbying law.
Proposed law adds the definition of "foreign adversary" to these definitions and provides that
it means an individual or a government identified as a foreign adversary in 15 CFR 7.4(a)
and identified in the database maintained by the U.S. Dept. of the Treasury, office of foreign
assets control.
Present law requires persons who wish to lobby before the La. legislature or any public body
to register with the ethics board.
Proposed law provides that an agent of a foreign adversary shall, in addition to the present
law requirements, complete registration indicating that it is a foreign adversary of the U.S.
Effective December 1, 2025.
(Amends R.S. 24:51(3)-(8); Adds R.S. 24:51.(9), 53.1 and 57(6) and R.S. 42:1171)
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