[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2135 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2135

     To prevent foreign adversaries from influencing elections by 
prohibiting foreign nationals from purchasing at any time a broadcast, 
 cable, or satellite communication that mentions a clearly identified 
                     candidate for Federal office.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 8, 2019

  Ms. Slotkin (for herself and Ms. Stefanik) introduced the following 
   bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To prevent foreign adversaries from influencing elections by 
prohibiting foreign nationals from purchasing at any time a broadcast, 
 cable, or satellite communication that mentions a clearly identified 
                     candidate for Federal office.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Preventing Adversaries 
Internationally from Disbursing Advertising Dollars Act'' or the ``PAID 
AD Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to protect the integrity of American 
democracy by expanding the scope of the prohibition on political 
advertising by foreign principals in order to uphold the well-
established standard of the United States Supreme Court that foreign 
nationals may lawfully be excluded from participating in certain 
electoral activities.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the growing threat of malicious interference in our 
        elections by foreign actors requires the Congress and the 
        Federal Election Commission to take meaningful action to ensure 
        that laws and regulations protect against influence by foreign 
        nationals in activity fundamental to our democracy;
            (2) the Supreme Court has long held that there is a 
        compelling national interest in preventing foreign influence in 
        the United States political process and that foreign citizens 
        lack a ``constitutional right to participate in, and thus may 
        be excluded from, activities of democratic self-government''; 
        and
            (3) the current prohibition on foreign nationals 
        contributing to political campaigns and advertisements must be 
        updated.

SEC. 4. EXPANSION OF LIMITATION ON FOREIGN NATIONALS.

    (a) Disbursements Described.--Section 319(a)(1) of the Federal 
Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30121(a)(1)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``or'' at the end of subparagraph (B); and
            (2) by striking subparagraph (C) and inserting the 
        following:
                    ``(C) an expenditure;
                    ``(D) an independent expenditure;
                    ``(E) a disbursement for an electioneering 
                communication (within the meaning of section 
                304(f)(3));
                    ``(F) a disbursement for a paid internet or paid 
                digital communication that refers to a clearly 
                identified candidate for election for Federal office 
                and is disseminated within 60 days before a general, 
                special or runoff election for the office sought by the 
                candidate or 30 days before a primary or preference 
                election, or a convention or caucus of a political 
                party that has authority to nominate a candidate for 
                the office sought by the candidate;
                    ``(G) a disbursement for a broadcast, cable or 
                satellite communication, or for a paid internet or paid 
                digital communication, that promotes, supports, attacks 
                or opposes the election of a clearly identified 
                candidate for Federal, State, or local office 
                (regardless of whether the communication contains 
                express advocacy or the functional equivalent of 
                express advocacy); or
                    ``(H) a disbursement for a broadcast, cable, or 
                satellite communication, or for any communication which 
                is placed or promoted for a fee on an online platform, 
                that discusses a national legislative issue of public 
                importance in a year in which a regularly scheduled 
                general election for Federal office is held, but only 
                if the disbursement is made by a foreign principal who 
                is a government of a foreign country or a foreign 
                political party or an agent of such a foreign principal 
                under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938.''.
    (b) Definition of Online Platform.--Section 319 of such Act (52 
U.S.C. 30121) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsection:
    ``(c) Online Platform.--As used in this section, the term `online 
platform' means any public-facing website, web application, or digital 
application (including a social network, ad network, or search engine) 
which--
            ``(1) sells qualified political advertisements; and
            ``(2) has 50,000,000 or more unique monthly United States 
        visitors or users for a majority of months during the preceding 
        12 months.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply with respect to disbursements made on or after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.
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