S 865119th CongressIntroduced

Lobbying Disclosure Improvement Act

Introduced: Mar 5, 2025

Sponsor: Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI] (D-Michigan)

Defense & National Security

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Lobbying Disclosure Improvement Act would amend the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) of 1995 to require registrants to disclose whether they are exempt from the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) registration requirements under section 3(h) of FARA (22 U.S.C. 613(h)). Specifically, the bill adds a new disclosure item to the LDA’s required registrations (Section 4(b)) — item (8) — that asks for a statement about FARA exemption. The language changes to ensure the new item is included within the existing list of disclosure requirements. The change is focused on transparency, linking LDA registrants to FARA exemption status without altering FARA itself.

Key Points

1Adds a new disclosure item: registrants must state whether they are exempt under FARA § 3(h) (22 U.S.C. 613(h)).
2Placement within the LDA: the new item is added as paragraph (8) under Section 4(b) of the LDA; the surrounding punctuation is adjusted to accommodate the addition.
3Scope: applies to disclosures by registrants under the LDA (lobbying registrants); does not itself modify FARA’s substantive registration requirements.
4Purpose: increases transparency about foreign influence and exemption status in lobbying disclosures, aiding public understanding and potential enforcement review.
5Related text: the reference to FARA § 3(h) clarifies that the exemption status being disclosed is specifically tied to the exemption in FARA, not to any other FARA provisions.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected: lobbying registrants and their clients, who will need to include the new FARA exemption statement in their LDA disclosures.Secondary group/area affected: oversight and compliance professionals, lawmakers, and the public seeking transparency about potential foreign influence in lobbying.Additional impacts: potential alignment between LDA disclosures and FARA exemptions could affect how disclosures are interpreted by the public and media; adds a minor compliance requirement for registrants without changing FARA’s substantive rules.

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