This bill amends Iowa's campaign finance laws to enhance regulations regarding the involvement of foreign nationals in ballot issue campaigns. It introduces definitions for "directly or indirectly" and "foreign national," specifying that foreign nationals include individuals not legally residing in the U.S., foreign governments, political parties, and entities majority-owned by foreign nationals. The bill mandates that political committees advocating for or against ballot issues must obtain affirmations from donors confirming they are not foreign nationals and have not accepted significant funds from foreign nationals in the past four years. Additionally, political committees must include these affirmations in their reports to the Iowa ethics and campaign disclosure board.

The bill also prohibits foreign nationals from participating in decision-making processes related to influencing ballot issues and establishes strict penalties for violations. Investigations into potential misconduct must protect the identities of lawful donors to tax-exempt organizations, and governmental entities are restricted from collecting or disclosing donor information unrelated to campaign finance violations. Violators of the new provisions face civil penalties of $10,000 or three times the amount of the contribution or expenditure, along with potential misdemeanor charges.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 68A.102, 68A.203, 68A.402, 68A.404