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Committee unanimously approves ban on foreign nationals funding ballot questions
Summary
House Bill 14-67 would prohibit foreign nationals from contributing to public questions on Indiana ballots and requires an affirmation from contributors that they are not foreign nationals or recipients of large foreign-funded donations. The committee approved the bill 8–0 and sent it to the full Senate.
Representative Wescow introduced House Bill 14-67 to the Senate Elections Committee, saying the bill would extend the existing prohibition on foreign contributions to candidates and parties so that it also applies to public questions on the ballot.
"This legislation would add that prohibition to Indiana's law," Representative Wescow said, describing a framework intended to prevent foreign nationals from funneling funds through nonprofit entities into ballot‑measure campaigns.
Under the bill, political action committees and parties making independent expenditures related to a public question would be required to affirm that they have not received in the aggregate more than $50,000 a year from foreign nationals and that no foreign national has directed or controlled the decision to make the contribution or expenditure. Representative Wescow said the provision aims to close a multilayered channel by which foreign funding might reach ballot campaigns.
Keegan Prentiss of the Secretary of State's office and Valerie Verreja (testifying for the Republican co-director of the Election Division) both testified in support, saying the measure closes a gap between federal prohibitions on foreign contributions to candidates and the treatment of public questions.
Laura Curran of Heritage Action for America also supported the bill and described examples in other states where large out‑of‑state donations have funded ballot measures.
Committee members asked about enforcement and how treasurers would feasibly verify multi-layered contributions. Representative Wescow said the bill requires an affirmation from the person offering the contribution and includes penalties for violations; witnesses compared the requirement to existing practice in which treasurers collect contributor occupations without documentary verification.
The committee approved the bill on a unanimous vote, 8–0, sending House Bill 14-67 to the full Senate for further consideration.
