Committee adopts strike‑all, advances bill requiring registration of agents linked to 'countries of concern'

The Committee on Ethics and Elections adopted a strike‑all amendment and reported favorably on Senate Bill 766, a measure to require registration of agents and certain political organizations associated with specified foreign governments.

Sponsor Senator Burgess told the committee the strike‑all clarifies that the measure targets “countries of concern,” language used elsewhere in Florida statute, and that the list includes China, Russia, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Cuba and the “Maduro regime in Venezuela.” He said both the original bill and the strike‑all require agents and foreign‑supported political organizations to register with the Division of Elections, but the strike‑all removes ownership and control disclosure requirements and instead focuses on the relationship to the listed countries.

Senator Burgess also said the committee sought to align the bill’s approach with the federal Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which has been codified at the federal level since 1938, while narrowing implementation to what can be practically enforced at the state level.

The committee heard no recorded public appearances on the amendment or the bill as amended. Members voted to adopt the amendment; the clerk called the roll after debate on the amended bill and the committee voted to report SB 766 favorably.

The bill will proceed to the next committee stop. Committee members and the sponsor discussed stakeholder feedback and implementation challenges, and the sponsor said the changes were intended to balance transparency goals with practicable enforcement.