Bills · 2021-2022 Regular Session
Relating to: expressly prohibiting a foreign national from making a contribution to a referendum committee.
Elections — Campaign expense Elections — Officials International relations Referendum
- Introduced, stopped here
- Passes Senate, not reached
- Passes Assembly, not reached
- Governor signs, not reached
- Law, not reached
Unfamiliar terms? Glossary
What this bill does
Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau
Current law provides that no person may make or accept a contribution, make
a disbursement, make an expenditure, or incur an obligation in violation of the
federal law that prohibits a foreign national from making a contribution in
connection with any federal, state, or local election. This bill provides, in addition,
that no foreign national may make a contribution to a referendum committee and no
referendum committee may accept a contribution from a foreign national. A recent
decision by the Federal Elections Commission allowed a foreign national to make a
contribution to a ballot initiative committee because the FEC determined that a
ballot initiative is not an “election” for purposes of the federal law prohibiting
contributions from foreign nationals.
Sponsors
Full history
- Dec 17, 2021 · Senate
Introduced by Senators Larson, Roys, Carpenter, Smith and Stroebel; cosponsored by Representatives Spreitzer, Hebl, Andraca, Pope, Shelton, Anderson, Subeck, Shankland, Hong, Sinicki and Considine
- Dec 17, 2021 · Senate
Read first time and referred to Committee on Elections, Election Process Reform and Ethics
- Mar 15, 2022 · Senate
Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1