To amend the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to require certain disclosures by registrants regarding exemptions under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Lobbying Disclosure Improvement Act adds a new Lobbying Disclosure Act registration item requiring each registrant to state whether it is exempt under section 3(h) of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Section 3(h) is the FARA exemption for certain agents who register under the Lobbying Disclosure Act, so the bill makes the exemption claim visible inside the LDA filing instead of leaving readers to infer it.
Who Benefits and How
The Department of Justice FARA Unit, House and Senate ethics and oversight staff, watchdog organizations, journalists, researchers tracking foreign influence, and members of the public gain a clearer signal when a lobbyist is relying on the FARA-LDA exemption. The filing requirement helps identify foreign-principal lobbying activity that is handled through LDA registration rather than full FARA registration.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Lobbying firms, in-house lobbyists, trade associations, law firms with lobbying practices, compliance officers, and registrants working for foreign principals must review whether they claim the section 3(h) exemption and add that statement to registration filings. The burden is narrow, but it increases disclosure exposure for registrants who previously appeared only as ordinary LDA filers.
Key Provisions
- Amends section 4(b) of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995.
- Requires LDA registrants to state whether they are exempt under FARA section 3(h).
- Provides DOJ, Congress, watchdogs, journalists, and the public a clearer link between LDA lobbying filings and FARA exemption status.
- Tightens foreign-influence transparency without creating a new lobbying-registration system.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Amends Lobbying Disclosure Act registration contents so registrants must state whether they claim the Foreign Agents Registration Act section 3(h) exemption.
Key Policy Areas
Lobbying, Foreign Influence, Government Oversight
Primary Purpose
Amends Lobbying Disclosure Act registration contents so registrants must state whether they claim the Foreign Agents Registration Act section 3(h) exemption.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- Department of Justice FARA Unit
- Congressional oversight staff
- Government watchdog organizations
- Journalists tracking foreign influence
- Researchers tracking foreign lobbying
Identified Costs
- Lobbying firms
- In-house lobbyists
- Law firms with lobbying practices
- Trade associations
- Lobbying compliance officers
- Registrants working for foreign principals
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
Passed SenateReported by Mr. Paul, without amendment
Passed Senate (inferred from es version)
Mr. Peters (for himself and Mr. Grassley) introduced the following …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Lobbying firms claiming FARA exemptions
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "fara_3h"
- → Foreign Agents Registration Act section 3(h) exemption for certain LDA-registered lobbying activity.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology