Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee Senate Bill SB0317 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1
2		-	HOUSE BILL 471
3		-	By Zachary
	2	+	<BillNo> <Sponsor>
4	3
5	4		SENATE BILL 317
6	5		By Lowe
7	6
8	7
9	8		SB0317
10	9		002014
11	10		- 1 -
12	11
13	12		AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 3,
14	13		Chapter 6 and Title 4, relative to agents of foreign
15	14		entities.
16	15
17	16		BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
18	17		SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 3, Chapter 6, is amended by adding the
19	18		following as a new part:
20	19		3-6-401. Findings.
21	20		The general assembly finds that:
22	21		(1) The voters, citizens, and policymakers of this state are entitled to
23	22		transparency in the political and propaganda activities of organizations that may
24	23		be controlled by or under the influence of foreign countries hostile to the interests
25	24		of this state and of the United States;
26	25		(2) In an increasingly globalized world, determining whether an
27	26		organization's political and propaganda activities are funded by hostile foreign
28	27		interests is often difficult; and
29	28		(3) Legislation is needed to ensure the transparency necessary to allow
30	29		voters, citizens, and policymakers to evaluate whether political and propaganda
31	30		activities are funded by potentially hostile foreign actors.
32	31		3-6-402. Part definitions.
33	32		As used in this part:
34	33		(1) "Agent of a hostile foreign principal" means:
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39	38		(A) An individual who acts as an agent, employee, representative,
40	39		or servant, or otherwise acts at the order, request, or under the direction
41	40		or control of a hostile foreign principal;
42	41		(B) Whose actions are financed in whole or in part by a hostile
43	42		foreign principal; and
44	43		(C) Who engages in political activity;
45	44		(2) "Foreign-supported political organization" means a political party or a
46	45		domestic partnership, association, corporation, organization, or any other
47	46		combination of persons that has, within the past five (5) calendar years, received
48	47		money or other things of value from a hostile foreign principal or an agent of a
49	48		hostile foreign principal and that engages in political activity;
50	49		(3) "Hostile foreign nation" means the People's Republic of China, the
51	50		Russian Federation, the People's Republic of North Korea, and the Islamic
52	51		Republic of Iran;
53	52		(4) "Hostile foreign principal" means:
54	53		(A) A government of a hostile foreign nation, a political party of a
55	54		hostile foreign nation, or any member of a political party of a hostile
56	55		foreign nation;
57	56		(B) A nonresident alien of a hostile foreign nation;
58	57		(C) A partnership, association, corporation, organization, or other
59	58		combination of persons organized under the law of or having its principal
60	59		place of business in a hostile foreign nation; or
61	60		(D) A domestic partnership, association, corporation,
62	61		organization, or other combination of persons that is at least twenty
63	62		percent (20%) beneficially owned by a hostile foreign government, a
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65	64
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67	66
68	67		nonresident alien of a hostile foreign nation, or an entity organized under
69	68		the laws of or having its principal place of business in a hostile foreign
70	69		nation; and
71	70		(5) "Political activity" means an activity that is performed to influence an
72	71		agency or public official of this state, a local governmental entity within this state,
73	72		or the public within this state, with reference to formulating, adopting, or changing
74	73		the policies or laws of this state or electing or opposing a candidate for local or
75	74		state public office.
76	75		3-6-403. Registration of representatives of hostile foreign principals.
77	76		(a) A person shall not act as an agent of a hostile foreign principal unless the
78	77		person has filed with the Tennessee ethics commission a true and complete registration
79	78		statement and supplements to such statements as required by this part.
80	79		(b) Each person who is an agent of a hostile foreign principal shall, within ten
81	80		(10) days after becoming an agent, file with the Tennessee ethics commission a
82	81		registration statement, under oath, on a form prescribed by the Tennessee ethics
83	82		commission. The obligation of an agent of a hostile foreign principal to file a registration
84	83		statement shall, after the tenth day of becoming an agent, continue from day to day, and
85	84		the termination of such status does not relieve such agent from the obligation to file a
86	85		registration statement for the period during which the person was an agent of a foreign
87	86		principal.
88	87		(c) The registration statement must include the following:
89	88		(1) Registrant's name, principal business address, and all other business
90	89		addresses in the United States or elsewhere, and all residential addresses, if
91	90		any;
92	91		(2) A comprehensive statement of the nature of the registrant's business;
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97	96		(3) A statement of the nature of the work of each hostile foreign principal
98	97		for whom the registrant is acting, assuming, or purporting to act or has agreed to
99	98		act, and the character of the business or other activities of every such hostile
100	99		foreign principal. For a hostile foreign principal that is not a natural person, such
101	100		statement must also detail the ownership and control to which each such foreign
102	101		principal is supervised, directed, owned, controlled, financed, or subsidized, in
103	102		whole or in part, by any government of a hostile foreign nation or political party of
104	103		a hostile foreign nation, or by any other hostile foreign principal;
105	104		(4) The nature and amount of contributions, income, money, or thing of
106	105		value, if any, that the registrant has received within the preceding sixty (60) days
107	106		from each such hostile foreign principal, either as compensation or for
108	107		disbursement or otherwise, and the form and time of each such payment and
109	108		from whom received;
110	109		(5) A detailed statement of every activity that the registrant is performing
111	110		or is assuming or purporting or has agreed to perform for the registrant or any
112	111		other person other than a hostile foreign principal and that requires registration
113	112		under this part;
114	113		(6) The name, business, and residential addresses, and if an individual
115	114		the nationality, of any person other than a hostile foreign principal for whom the
116	115		registrant is acting, assuming, or purporting to act or has agreed to act under
117	116		such circumstances that require registration under this part;
118	117		(7) The nature and amount of contributions, income, money, or thing of
119	118		value, if any, that the registrant has received during the preceding sixty (60) days
120	119		from each person in connection with any of the activities referred to in subdivision
121	120		(c)(6);
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126	125		(8) A detailed statement of the money and other things of value spent or
127	126		disposed of by the registrant during the preceding sixty (60) days in furtherance
128	127		of or in connection with activities that require the registrant's registration under
129	128		this part and that have been undertaken by the registrant either as an agent of a
130	129		hostile foreign principal or for the registrant or any other person or in connection
131	130		with any activities relating to the registrant becoming an agent of such principal;
132	131		(9) A detailed statement of any contributions of money or other things of
133	132		value made by the registrant during the preceding sixty (60) days to bring about
134	133		the nomination or election of a candidate for any office, to bring about the recall
135	134		of a public officer holding elective office, to oppose the recall of a public officer
136	135		holding elective office, to bring about the approval or rejection by the voters of
137	136		any proposed constitutional amendment, a state-wide referendum, or a proposed
138	137		question that is to appear on the ballot in this state or in a county or a municipal
139	138		election in this state; and
140	139		(10) Such other statements, information, or documents pertinent to the
141	140		purposes of this part as the Tennessee ethics commission may from time to time
142	141		require.
143	142		(d) The Tennessee ethics commission shall by rule require a registrant to update
144	143		the information required by subsection (c) on at least a quarterly basis.
145	144		3-6-404. Transparency in foreign-supported political organizations.
146	145		(a) No later than July 1, 2025, each foreign-supported political organization shall
147	146		register with the Tennessee ethics commission and provide the following information:
148	147		(1) The name of the organization, its business address, and the names,
149	148		titles, and addresses of all officers and directors of the organization;
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154	153		(2) If the organization is affiliated with, or a chapter of, a national
155	154		organization, the name of the national organization, its address, and the names
156	155		and addresses of its officers and directors;
157	156		(3) A detailed statement of any expenditures of money or other things of
158	157		value made by the organization within the prior calendar year to influence any
159	158		agency or public official of this state, any local governmental entity within this
160	159		state, or the public within this state, with reference to formulating, adopting, or
161	160		changing the policies or laws of this state or electing a candidate to local or state
162	161		public office; and
163	162		(4) A detailed statement of all money or other things of value received by
164	163		the organization from a hostile foreign principal or an agent of a hostile foreign
165	164		principal during the preceding calendar year.
166	165		(b) The Tennessee ethics commission shall, by rule, require a registered foreign-
167	166		supported organization to update the required information on no less than a quarterly
168	167		basis.
169	168		3-6-405. Penalties for violation – Authority of Tennessee ethics commission –
170	169		Role of attorney general and reporter.
171	170		(a) Upon receipt of a complaint that an agent of a hostile foreign principal or a
172	171		foreign-supported political organization has failed to comply with the registration and
173	172		reporting requirements of this part, or upon its own determination, the Tennessee ethics
174	173		commission shall have authority to investigate and to assess penalties for the violation of
175	174		this part.
176	175		(b) The Tennessee ethics commission may assess penalties up to and including
177	176		the following:
178	177		(1) For any violation, up to five hundred dollars ($500) per infraction; and
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183	182		(2) For willful or repeated violations, up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000)
184	183		per infraction and, if the violator is an attorney, a reference of the matter to the
185	184		supreme court for disbarment.
186	185		(c) The Tennessee ethics commission may refer any matter to the attorney
187	186		general and reporter for further civil or criminal action.
188	187		SECTION 2. The headings in this act are for reference purposes only and do not
189	188		constitute a part of the law enacted by this act. However, the Tennessee Code Commission is
190	189		requested to include the headings in any compilation or publication containing this act.
191	190		SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.