FRONT Act

The FRONT Act would expand the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) to require certain tax-exempt organizations (primarily 501(c) entities) that receive funding from foreign principals connected to designated “foreign countries of concern” to register as agents of a foreign principal. The bill creates a new Section 12 in FARA outlining who is covered, who qualifies as a “foreign principal of a foreign country of concern,” and what counts as a “foreign country of concern.” It also tightens reporting requirements for these organizations, requiring detailed disclosures about funding arrangements and activities, including political activities. The act lists several countries explicitly (China, North Korea, Russia, Iran, Cuba, Venezuela) and allows the Secretary of State to designate others. It also tightens certain exemptions that would otherwise apply to some nonprofit groups and sets a 30-day effective date after enactment. In short, the bill aims to increase transparency of foreign influence by broadening FARA coverage to specific nonprofit recipients of foreign funding, demanding more thorough disclosures, and removing some existing exemptions for these entities.