HOUSE BILL NO. 2879 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE SIMMONS.
6524H.01I JOSEPH ENGLER, Chief Clerk
AN ACT To amend chapter 130, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to the foreign agents registration act, with penalty provisions.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 130, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be 2 known as section 130.300, to read as follows: 130.300. 1. As used in this section, the following terms mean: 2 (1) "Agent of a hostile foreign principal", includes any person: 3 (a) Who acts as an agent, employee, representative, or servant, or otherwise acts 4 at the order, request, or under the direction or control of a hostile foreign principal; 5 (b) Whose actions are financed in whole or in part by a hostile foreign principal; 6 and 7 (c) Who engages in political activity; 8 (2) "Foreign-supported political organization", a political party or a domestic 9 partnership, association, corporation, organization, or any other combination of persons 10 that has, within the past five calendar years, received money or other things of value 11 from a hostile foreign principal or an agent of a hostile foreign principal and which 12 engages in political activity; 13 (3) "Hostile foreign country", any foreign nation that has been determined to be 14 a foreign adversary by the United States Department of Commerce under 15 C.F.R. 15 791.4; 16 (4) "Hostile foreign principal", includes:
EXPLANATION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is intended to be omitted from the law. Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language. HB 2879 2
17 (a) A government of a hostile foreign country, a political party of a hostile 18 foreign country, or any member of a political party of a hostile foreign country; 19 (b) A nonresident alien of a hostile foreign country; 20 (c) A partnership, association, corporation, organization, or other combination 21 of persons organized under the law of or having its principal place of business in a 22 hostile foreign country; and 23 (d) A domestic partnership, association, corporation, organization, or other 24 combination of persons that is under the control of a hostile foreign government, a 25 nonresident alien of a hostile foreign country, or an entity organized under the laws of 26 or having its principal place of business in a hostile foreign country; 27 (5) "Political activity", any activity that is performed to influence any agency or 28 public official of the state of Missouri, any local government entity within the state of 29 Missouri, or to influence the public within the state of Missouri, with reference to 30 formulating, adopting, or changing the policies or laws of the state of Missouri or 31 electing or opposing a candidate for local or state public office. 32 2. No person shall act as an agent of a hostile foreign principal unless he or she 33 has filed with the Missouri ethics commission a true and complete registration statement 34 and supplements thereto as required by this section or unless he or she is exempt from 35 registration under the provisions of this section. Except as hereinafter provided, every 36 person who becomes an agent of a hostile foreign principal shall, within ten days 37 thereafter, file with the Missouri ethics commission a registration statement, under oath, 38 on a form prescribed by the commission. The obligation of an agent of a hostile foreign 39 principal to file a registration statement shall, after the tenth day of his or her becoming 40 such agent, continue from day to day, and termination of such status shall not relieve 41 such agent from the obligation to file a registration statement for the period during 42 which he or she was an agent of a hostile foreign principal. The registration statement 43 shall include the following: 44 (1) The registrant's name, principal business address, all other business 45 addresses in the United States or elsewhere, and all residential addresses, if any; 46 (2) A comprehensive statement of the nature of the registrant's business; 47 (3) A statement of the nature of the work of each hostile foreign principal for 48 whom the registrant is acting, assuming or purporting to act, or has agreed to act, and 49 the character of the business or other activities of every such hostile foreign principal. If 50 any such hostile foreign principal be other than a natural person, such statement shall 51 also detail the ownership and control by which each such hostile foreign principal is 52 supervised, directed, owned, controlled, financed, or subsidized, in whole or in part, by HB 2879 3
53 any government of a hostile foreign country or political party of a hostile foreign 54 country, or by any other hostile foreign principal; 55 (4) The nature and amount of contributions, income, money, or thing of value, if 56 any, that the registrant has received within the preceding sixty days from each such 57 hostile foreign principal, either as compensation or for disbursement or otherwise, and 58 the form and time of each such payment and from whom received; 59 (5) A detailed statement of every activity which the registrant is performing, is 60 assuming or purporting to perform, or has agreed to perform for himself or herself or 61 any other person other than a hostile foreign principal and which requires his or her 62 registration; 63 (6) The name, business, and residence addresses, and if an individual, the 64 nationality, of any person other than a hostile foreign principal for whom the registrant 65 is acting, assuming or purporting to act, or has agreed to act under such circumstances 66 as require his or her registration hereunder; 67 (7) The nature and amount of contributions, income, money, or thing of value, if 68 any, that the registrant has received during the preceding sixty days from each such 69 person in connection with any of the activities referred to in subdivision (6) of this 70 subsection; 71 (8) A detailed statement of the money and other things of value spent or disposed 72 of by the registrant during the preceding sixty days in furtherance of or in connection 73 with activities which require the registrant's registration under this section and which 74 have been undertaken by the registrant either as an agent of a hostile foreign principal 75 or for himself or herself or any other person or in connection with any activities relating 76 to the registrant becoming an agent of such principal; 77 (9) A detailed statement of any contributions of money or other things of value 78 made by the registrant during the preceding sixty days to bring about the nomination or 79 election of a candidate for any office, to bring about the recall of a public officer holding 80 elective office, to oppose the recall of a public officer holding elective office, and to bring 81 about the approval or rejection by the voters of any proposed constitutional 82 amendment, a state-wide referendum, or a proposed question which is to appear on 83 the ballot in this state or in a county or a municipal election in this state; and 84 (10) Such other statements, information, or documents pertinent to the purposes 85 of this section as the Missouri ethics commission may from time to time require. 86 3. No later than January 1, 2027, each foreign-supported political organization 87 shall register with the Missouri ethics commission and provide the following 88 information: HB 2879 4
89 (1) The name of the organization, its business address, and the names, titles, and 90 addresses of all officers and directors of the organization; 91 (2) If the organization is affiliated with or a chapter of a national organization, 92 the name of the national organization, its address, and the names and addresses of its 93 officers and directors; 94 (3) A detailed statement of any expenditures of money or other things of value 95 made by the organization within the prior calendar year to influence any agency or 96 public official of the state of Missouri, any local government entity within the state of 97 Missouri, or the public within the state of Missouri, with reference to formulating, 98 adopting, or changing the policies or laws of the state of Missouri or electing a candidate 99 to local or state public office; and 100 (4) A detailed statement of all money or other things of value received by the 101 organization from a hostile foreign principal or an agent of a hostile foreign principal 102 during the preceding calendar year. 103 4. The Missouri ethics commission shall require the information required under 104 subsections 2 and 3 of this section to updated on no less than a quarterly basis. 105 5. Upon receipt of a complaint that an agent of a hostile foreign principal or a 106 foreign-supported political organization has failed to comply with the registration and 107 reporting requirements of this section, or upon its own determination, the Missouri 108 ethics commission shall have authority to investigate and to assess penalties for the 109 violation of this section. The commission may assess penalties up to and including the 110 following: 111 (1) For any violation, up to five hundred dollars per infraction; and 112 (2) For willful or repeated violations, up to ten thousand dollars per infraction 113 and disbarment. 114 115 The Missouri ethics commission may refer any matter to the attorney general for 116 further civil or criminal action. 117 6. The Missouri ethics commission may promulgate all necessary rules and 118 regulations for the administration of this section. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that 119 term is defined in section 536.010, that is created under the authority delegated in this 120 section shall become effective only if it complies with and is subject to all of the 121 provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 536.028. This section and chapter 122 536 are nonseverable and if any of the powers vested with the general assembly 123 pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay the effective date, or to disapprove and annul HB 2879 5
124 a rule are subsequently held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking authority 125 and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 2026, shall be invalid and void. ✔
Statutes affected: