Shortly before adjourning for 2025, the Senate passed two bills to broaden disclosure and registration requirements related to the regulation of foreign agents under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (“FARA”) and the Lobbying Disclosure Act (“LDA”): the Disclosing Foreign Influence in Lobbying Act (S. 856 / H.R. 1883) and the Lobbying Disclosure Improvement Act (S. 865 / H.R. 1887).
As we explained in the fall, the Disclosing Foreign Influence in Lobbying Act would broaden registered lobbyists’ required disclosures to include identifying any foreign government entities or political parties that merely “participate[] in the direction, planning, supervision, or control of any lobbying activities of the registrant,” regardless of whether those entities finance the lobbying activities. Meanwhile, the Lobbying Disclosure Improvement Act would require all LDA registrants to indicate whether they are registering under the LDA as a means of satisfying a FARA obligation.
That these bills passed the Senate is unsurprising; in the previous two sessions of Congress, the bills passed the Senate in substantially identical form. And prominent Senators on both sides of the aisle have supported increased regulation of foreign agents in the United States. It remains uncertain whether the House will advance the legislation. Since our last update, neither bill has gained House cosponsors or received a markup. Covington will continue to monitor as Congress contemplates amending disclosure requirements for lobbyists and foreign agents.