Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee House Bill HB0471 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2	SENATE BILL 317
3	3	By Lowe
4	4
5	5	HOUSE BILL 471
6	6	By Zachary
7	7
8	8
9	9	HB0471
10	10	002014
11	11	- 1 -
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13	13	AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 3,
14	14	Chapter 6 and Title 4, relative to agents of foreign
15	15	entities.
16	16
17	17	BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
18	18	SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 3, Chapter 6, is amended by adding the
19	19	following as a new part:
20	20	3-6-401. Findings.
21	21	The general assembly finds that:
22	22	(1) The voters, citizens, and policymakers of this state are entitled to
23	23	transparency in the political and propaganda activities of organizations that may
24	24	be controlled by or under the influence of foreign countries hostile to the interests
25	25	of this state and of the United States;
26	26	(2) In an increasingly globalized world, determining whether an
27	27	organization's political and propaganda activities are funded by hostile foreign
28	28	interests is often difficult; and
29	29	(3) Legislation is needed to ensure the transparency necessary to allow
30	30	voters, citizens, and policymakers to evaluate whether political and propaganda
31	31	activities are funded by potentially hostile foreign actors.
32	32	3-6-402. Part definitions.
33	33	As used in this part:
34	34	(1) "Agent of a hostile foreign principal" means:
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39	39	(A) An individual who acts as an agent, employee, representative,
40	40	or servant, or otherwise acts at the order, request, or under the direction
41	41	or control of a hostile foreign principal;
42	42	(B) Whose actions are financed in whole or in part by a hostile
43	43	foreign principal; and
44	44	(C) Who engages in political activity;
45	45	(2) "Foreign-supported political organization" means a political party or a
46	46	domestic partnership, association, corporation, organization, or any other
47	47	combination of persons that has, within the past five (5) calendar years, received
48	48	money or other things of value from a hostile foreign principal or an agent of a
49	49	hostile foreign principal and that engages in political activity;
50	50	(3) "Hostile foreign nation" means the People's Republic of China, the
51	51	Russian Federation, the People's Republic of North Korea, and the Islamic
52	52	Republic of Iran;
53	53	(4) "Hostile foreign principal" means:
54	54	(A) A government of a hostile foreign nation, a political party of a
55	55	hostile foreign nation, or any member of a political party of a hostile
56	56	foreign nation;
57	57	(B) A nonresident alien of a hostile foreign nation;
58	58	(C) A partnership, association, corporation, organization, or other
59	59	combination of persons organized under the law of or having its principal
60	60	place of business in a hostile foreign nation; or
61	61	(D) A domestic partnership, association, corporation,
62	62	organization, or other combination of persons that is at least twenty
63	63	percent (20%) beneficially owned by a hostile foreign government, a
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68	68	nonresident alien of a hostile foreign nation, or an entity organized under
69	69	the laws of or having its principal place of business in a hostile foreign
70	70	nation; and
71	71	(5) "Political activity" means an activity that is performed to influence an
72	72	agency or public official of this state, a local governmental entity within this state,
73	73	or the public within this state, with reference to formulating, adopting, or changing
74	74	the policies or laws of this state or electing or opposing a candidate for local or
75	75	state public office.
76	76	3-6-403. Registration of representatives of hostile foreign principals.
77	77	(a) A person shall not act as an agent of a hostile foreign principal unless the
78	78	person has filed with the Tennessee ethics commission a true and complete registration
79	79	statement and supplements to such statements as required by this part.
80	80	(b) Each person who is an agent of a hostile foreign principal shall, within ten
81	81	(10) days after becoming an agent, file with the Tennessee ethics commission a
82	82	registration statement, under oath, on a form prescribed by the Tennessee ethics
83	83	commission. The obligation of an agent of a hostile foreign principal to file a registration
84	84	statement shall, after the tenth day of becoming an agent, continue from day to day, and
85	85	the termination of such status does not relieve such agent from the obligation to file a
86	86	registration statement for the period during which the person was an agent of a foreign
87	87	principal.
88	88	(c) The registration statement must include the following:
89	89	(1) Registrant's name, principal business address, and all other business
90	90	addresses in the United States or elsewhere, and all residential addresses, if
91	91	any;
92	92	(2) A comprehensive statement of the nature of the registrant's business;
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97	97	(3) A statement of the nature of the work of each hostile foreign principal
98	98	for whom the registrant is acting, assuming, or purporting to act or has agreed to
99	99	act, and the character of the business or other activities of every such hostile
100	100	foreign principal. For a hostile foreign principal that is not a natural person, such
101	101	statement must also detail the ownership and control to which each such foreign
102	102	principal is supervised, directed, owned, controlled, financed, or subsidized, in
103	103	whole or in part, by any government of a hostile foreign nation or political party of
104	104	a hostile foreign nation, or by any other hostile foreign principal;
105	105	(4) The nature and amount of contributions, income, money, or thing of
106	106	value, if any, that the registrant has received within the preceding sixty (60) days
107	107	from each such hostile foreign principal, either as compensation or for
108	108	disbursement or otherwise, and the form and time of each such payment and
109	109	from whom received;
110	110	(5) A detailed statement of every activity that the registrant is performing
111	111	or is assuming or purporting or has agreed to perform for the registrant or any
112	112	other person other than a hostile foreign principal and that requires registration
113	113	under this part;
114	114	(6) The name, business, and residential addresses, and if an individual
115	115	the nationality, of any person other than a hostile foreign principal for whom the
116	116	registrant is acting, assuming, or purporting to act or has agreed to act under
117	117	such circumstances that require registration under this part;
118	118	(7) The nature and amount of contributions, income, money, or thing of
119	119	value, if any, that the registrant has received during the preceding sixty (60) days
120	120	from each person in connection with any of the activities referred to in subdivision
121	121	(c)(6);
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126	126	(8) A detailed statement of the money and other things of value spent or
127	127	disposed of by the registrant during the preceding sixty (60) days in furtherance
128	128	of or in connection with activities that require the registrant's registration under
129	129	this part and that have been undertaken by the registrant either as an agent of a
130	130	hostile foreign principal or for the registrant or any other person or in connection
131	131	with any activities relating to the registrant becoming an agent of such principal;
132	132	(9) A detailed statement of any contributions of money or other things of
133	133	value made by the registrant during the preceding sixty (60) days to bring about
134	134	the nomination or election of a candidate for any office, to bring about the recall
135	135	of a public officer holding elective office, to oppose the recall of a public officer
136	136	holding elective office, to bring about the approval or rejection by the voters of
137	137	any proposed constitutional amendment, a state-wide referendum, or a proposed
138	138	question that is to appear on the ballot in this state or in a county or a municipal
139	139	election in this state; and
140	140	(10) Such other statements, information, or documents pertinent to the
141	141	purposes of this part as the Tennessee ethics commission may from time to time
142	142	require.
143	143	(d) The Tennessee ethics commission shall by rule require a registrant to update
144	144	the information required by subsection (c) on at least a quarterly basis.
145	145	3-6-404. Transparency in foreign-supported political organizations.
146	146	(a) No later than July 1, 2025, each foreign-supported political organization shall
147	147	register with the Tennessee ethics commission and provide the following information:
148	148	(1) The name of the organization, its business address, and the names,
149	149	titles, and addresses of all officers and directors of the organization;
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154	154	(2) If the organization is affiliated with, or a chapter of, a national
155	155	organization, the name of the national organization, its address, and the names
156	156	and addresses of its officers and directors;
157	157	(3) A detailed statement of any expenditures of money or other things of
158	158	value made by the organization within the prior calendar year to influence any
159	159	agency or public official of this state, any local governmental entity within this
160	160	state, or the public within this state, with reference to formulating, adopting, or
161	161	changing the policies or laws of this state or electing a candidate to local or state
162	162	public office; and
163	163	(4) A detailed statement of all money or other things of value received by
164	164	the organization from a hostile foreign principal or an agent of a hostile foreign
165	165	principal during the preceding calendar year.
166	166	(b) The Tennessee ethics commission shall, by rule, require a registered foreign-
167	167	supported organization to update the required information on no less than a quarterly
168	168	basis.
169	169	3-6-405. Penalties for violation – Authority of Tennessee ethics commission –
170	170	Role of attorney general and reporter.
171	171	(a) Upon receipt of a complaint that an agent of a hostile foreign principal or a
172	172	foreign-supported political organization has failed to comply with the registration and
173	173	reporting requirements of this part, or upon its own determination, the Tennessee ethics
174	174	commission shall have authority to investigate and to assess penalties for the violation of
175	175	this part.
176	176	(b) The Tennessee ethics commission may assess penalties up to and including
177	177	the following:
178	178	(1) For any violation, up to five hundred dollars ($500) per infraction; and
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183	183	(2) For willful or repeated violations, up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000)
184	184	per infraction and, if the violator is an attorney, a reference of the matter to the
185	185	supreme court for disbarment.
186	186	(c) The Tennessee ethics commission may refer any matter to the attorney
187	187	general and reporter for further civil or criminal action.
188	188	SECTION 2. The headings in this act are for reference purposes only and do not
189	189	constitute a part of the law enacted by this act. However, the Tennessee Code Commission is
190	190	requested to include the headings in any compilation or publication containing this act.
191	191	SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.