To amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 to establish a separate unit within the Department of Justice for the investigation and enforcement of such Act, to provide the Attorney General with the authority to impose civil money penalties for violations of such Act, and to require agents of foreign principals who are registered under such Act to disclose transactions involving things of financial value conferred on officeholders.
The Protect Against Unlawful Lobbying (PAUL) Act of 2024 strengthens enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which requires people who lobby on behalf of foreign governments or entities to register and disclose their activities. The bill creates a dedicated enforcement unit within the Department of Justice's National Security Division with $10 million in annual funding to investigate and prosecute violations of the law. It grants the Attorney General authority to impose civil penalties ranging from $1,000 to $200,000 for registration failures and other violations, with collected fines going back into enforcement costs. The legislation also requires foreign agents to disclose any financial benefits they provide to U.S. federal or state officeholders, and existing registrants have 90 days from the law's enactment to file a supplemental disclosure of such transactions. These changes aim to increase transparency and accountability in foreign influence activities on American officials.
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