Hall Bill Restricting Lobbyists Passes House
Press Release
H.R. 5609, an important piece of legislation regarding lobby reform which was sponsored and introduced by Congressman John Hall (NY-19) earlier in the week, passed in the House today with bi-partisan support by a vote of 408 to 4. The bill bars lobbying for countries that are state sponsors of terrorism.
Current law prohibits foreign nationals from making contributions in connection with any federal, state, or local election; contributing to a political party committee; or funding electioneering communications. Campaigns cannot solicit donations from foreign nationals under the present law as well.
H.R. 5609 will expand the law to now ban U.S. lobbyists from advocating on behalf of any countries that the U.S. State Department deemed to be supporters of international acts of terrorism.
"We cannot allow hostile foreign governments to exercise any control over American elections," said Rep. Hall. "This bill is a natural extension of last week's DISCLOSE Act which prevented foreign controlled corporations such as BP from influencing our elections. Without this legislation, a government like Iran could potentially influence U.S. foreign policy, undermine our elections and potentially put our nation at risk. Failing to act allows foreign wealth to be turned into a weapon against our democracy. American elections must be decided by Americans and U.S. policy must be decided by the U.S. government."
Last week Congressman Hall cosponsored the DISCLOSE Act, which was the most far-reaching campaign finance reform law to strengthen disclosure and transparency in recent history.
"We must cut our connection to countries that promote -- or at least condone -- terrorism," said Rep. Michael E. McMahon (D-Staten Island and Brooklyn), who is an original cosponsor of H.R. 5609. "Whether it is with our consumption of foreign oil or with our elections, we must stop allowing these countries to exert influence over us. This is a common-sense bill that will help keep American elections in the hands of American citizens. I am proud to be an original cosponsor and applaud Rep. Hall for introducing this legislation."
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