Expressly prohibiting a foreign national from making a contribution to a referendum committee

The bill requires each referendum committee and independent expenditure committee, and its sponsoring organization, to obtain from a person making a contribution to the committee, or providing funds to the sponsoring organization, a written affirmation that the person is not a foreign national and has not intentionally accepted funds aggregating in excess of $100,000 from one or more foreign nationals during the four-year period immediately preceding the date of the contribution to the committee or the provision of funds to the sponsoring organization. The referendum committee must attest in each report submitted to the Ethics Commission that it has obtained the affirmations required under the bill. In addition, each independent expenditure committee that makes a disbursement, expenditure, or contribution to support or defeat a referendum, or to influence a particular vote at a referendum, must attest in each report submitted to the commission that it has obtained the affirmations required under the bill.

Finally, each referendum committee must include in its registration statement an affirmation that none of the referendum committee’s preliminary activity was funded, directly or indirectly, by a foreign national. The bill defines “preliminary activity” as activity occurring prior to filing a registration statement and includes preparing and analyzing referendum language and ballot questions, conducting a poll, survey, or focus group, making communications, and travel.