Florida Senate - 2025 SB 766
By Senator Burgess
23-00616B-25 2025766__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the registration of agents and
3 organizations associated with foreign nations;
4 creating s. 106.031, F.S.; defining terms; requiring
5 agents of a foreign principal and foreign-supported
6 political organizations to register with the Division
7 of Elections; requiring the division to create
8 registration forms; providing requirements for such
9 forms; requiring periodic updates by agents and
10 organizations; providing penalties for violations;
11 providing an effective date.
12
13 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
14
15 Section 1. Section 106.031, Florida Statutes, is created to
16 read:
17 106.031 Registration of agents and organizations associated
18 with foreign nations.—
19 (1) For purposes of this section, the term:
20 (a) “Address” includes any address, no matter where
21 located, inside or outside of the United States.
22 (b) “Agent of a foreign principal” means a person:
23 1. Who acts as an agent, an employee, a representative, or
24 a servant, or who otherwise acts at the order, at the request,
25 or under the direction or control, of a foreign principal;
26 2. Whose actions are financed, in whole or in part, by a
27 foreign principal; and
28 3. Who engages in political activity.
29 (c) “Foreign principal” means:
30 1. The government of a foreign country;
31 2. A political party or a member of a political party of a
32 foreign country;
33 3. A person who is not a citizen or national of the United
34 States and is not lawfully admitted to the United States for
35 permanent residency;
36 4. A partnership, an association, a corporation, an
37 organization, or any other combination of persons organized
38 under the laws of or having its principal place of business in a
39 foreign country; or
40 5. A domestic partnership, an association, a corporation,
41 an organization, or any other combination of persons which is at
42 least 20 percent beneficially owned by a foreign government; a
43 nonresident alien of a foreign country; or an entity organized
44 under the laws of or having its principal place of business in a
45 foreign country.
46
47 If the foreign country that causes a person to be a foreign
48 principal is the People’s Republic of China, the Russian
49 Federation, the People’s Republic of North Korea, or the Islamic
50 Republic of Iran, the foreign principal is also a hostile
51 foreign principal.
52 (d) “Foreign-supported political organization” means a
53 political party or a domestic partnership, an association, a
54 corporation, an organization, or any other business entity that
55 has, within the past 5 calendar years, received money or other
56 things of value from a foreign principal or an agent of a
57 foreign principal and which engages in political activity.
58 (e) “Payment” includes compensation and disbursement made
59 in any form, including, but not limited to, contributions,
60 income, money, tangible property, and intangible property.
61 (f) “Political activity” means an activity that is
62 performed to:
63 1. Influence an agency, a public official, or a local
64 government entity;
65 2. Influence the public in creating, adopting, or changing
66 state laws or government policies;
67 3. Support or oppose a candidate for office;
68 4. Influence the outcome of an election; or
69 5. Support or oppose any issue.
70 (2)(a) A person who becomes an agent of a foreign principal
71 must, within 10 days, register with the division. The
72 registration must be signed under oath.
73 (b) The division shall create a form for the registration
74 required under paragraph (a). Such form must, at a minimum,
75 require the following information:
76 1. The registrant’s name.
77 2. The address of the registrant’s primary residence and
78 all other addresses associated with the registrant.
79 3. The name and address of the resident’s principal place
80 of business.
81 4. A detailed statement describing the nature of the
82 registrant’s business.
83 5. The name of each foreign principal for whom the
84 registrant is acting, assuming or purporting to act, or has
85 agreed to act.
86 6. A detailed statement describing the nature of the work
87 and the character of the business or other activities of each
88 foreign principal identified in subparagraph 5.
89 7. If a foreign principal is not a natural person, a
90 statement detailing the ownership and control of such foreign
91 principal.
92 8. If the foreign principal is not a natural person, a
93 statement detailing to what extent such foreign principal is
94 supervised, directed, owned, controlled, financed, or
95 subsidized, in whole or in part, by any foreign government,
96 foreign political party, or other foreign principal.
97 9. A statement detailing each time the registrant received
98 a payment from a foreign principal identified in subparagraph 5.
99 in the previous 60 days. The statement must identify the amount
100 of the payment and the nature of such payment.
101 10. The total amount of the payments the registrant has
102 received from a foreign principal identified in subparagraph 5.
103 in the previous 60 days.
104 11. A detailed statement of every activity the registrant,
105 or a person on behalf of the registrant, is performing, has
106 performed, or has agreed to perform on behalf of a foreign
107 principal identified in subparagraph 5.
108 12. If the registrant is also engaged in political activity
109 on behalf of a person who is not a foreign principal but who is
110 an agent of a foreign principal, the registrant must include the
111 following information:
112 a. The name, employer, business and residence addresses,
113 and, if applicable, nationality of such person.
114 b. A detailed statement of every activity the registrant,
115 or a person on behalf of the registrant, is performing, has
116 performed, or has agreed to perform on behalf of such person.
117 c. A statement detailing each time the registrant received
118 a payment from such person in the previous 60 days. The
119 statement must identify the amount of the payment and the nature
120 of such payment.
121 13. A detailed statement of the payments made by the
122 registrant during the previous 60 days in connection with
123 actions taken by the registrant as an agent of, on behalf of, or
124 in furtherance of the goals of a foreign principal or a person
125 identified in subparagraph 12.
126 14. A detailed statement of any payments made by the
127 registrant during the previous 60 days related to any political
128 activity.
129 (c) A registrant must update the information required by
130 paragraph (b) at least every 90 days.
131 (d) A person must file as an agent of a foreign principal
132 for any period of time he or she was engaged in such position.
133 (3)(a) On or before January 1, 2026, each foreign-supported
134 political organization must register with the division.
135 (b) The division shall create a form for the registration
136 required under paragraph (a). Such form must, at a minimum,
137 require the following information:
138 1. The organization’s name and mailing address and the
139 address of any physical office.
140 2. The names and titles of all officers or directors of the
141 organization.
142 3. The address of each person identified in subparagraph 2.
143 4. A detailed statement of any payment made by the
144 organization that would constitute political activity during the
145 previous calendar year.
146 5. A detailed statement of any payment made to, or received
147 by, the organization from a foreign principal or an agent of a
148 foreign principal during the preceding calendar year.
149 (c) An organization must update the information required by
150 paragraph (b) at least every 90 days.
151 (4) Upon a finding of a violation of this section by the
152 Florida Elections Commission, in addition to the remedies
153 provided in ss. 106.265 and 106.27, the following penalties may
154 be assessed:
155 (a) For any violation, a fine of up to $500 per violation.
156 (b) For any willful or repeated violation, a fine of up to
157 $2,000 per violation.
158 (c) For any willful or repeated violation in which the
159 foreign principal is a hostile foreign principal, up to $10,000
160 per violation and a temporary or permanent ban from future
161 registration.
162 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.