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ARTICLE · 05 SEPTEMBER 2025

State-Level Foreign Influence Laws Begin Taking Effect

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State legislatures considered hundreds of bills to curb foreign influence in state and local politics during the 2025 sessions.

GlobalGovernment, Public Sector
Melissa L. Laurenza
Melissa L. Laurenza
Kenneth A. Gross
Kenneth A. Gross
Kevin Paulsen
Kevin Paulsen
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State legislatures considered hundreds of bills to curb foreign influence in state and local politics during the 2025 sessions. Many aimed to require additional disclosures for lobbying efforts on behalf of foreign companies and organizations—activities historically regulated by the federal Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). After Georgia Governor Brian Kemp vetoed a state-level FARA bill last year, five of these so-called "Baby FARA" bills became law in 2025. Two have already taken effect and three more will become effective by the end of the year.

Although these state laws resemble FARA in structure, four of the five apply exclusively to activities conducted on behalf of foreign principals from designated adversarial nations. Notably, they are not necessarily narrower than FARA, as they generally exclude the exemptions that allow many would-be-foreign agents to avoid federal registration.

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