Assembly Bill 517 aims to explicitly prohibit foreign nationals from making contributions to referendum committees in Wisconsin. The bill amends current law by renumbering the existing statute 11.1208 (4) to 11.1208 (4) (a) and creating a new subsection, 11.1208 (4) (b), which states that no foreign national may contribute to a referendum committee, and no referendum committee may accept contributions from foreign nationals. This legislative change is in response to a recent Federal Election Commission decision that allowed foreign contributions to ballot initiative committees, which the FEC determined were not considered elections under federal law.

By establishing this prohibition, the bill seeks to clarify and strengthen the existing regulations surrounding campaign contributions, ensuring that the integrity of the electoral process is maintained at both state and local levels. The definition of "foreign national" is aligned with existing federal regulations, ensuring consistency in the application of the law.