Kansas committee hears bill to bar foreign nationals from funding campaigns over constitutional amendments

House Bill 2106 would prohibit the direct or indirect receipt of contributions from foreign nationals for the purpose of promoting or opposing amendments to the Kansas Constitution, committee staff told the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee during a hearing.

The measure, explained by a legislative staff member identified in the hearing as Jason, would amend KSA 25 (as cited in the hearing) to bar foreign-national funding tied to campaigns over constitutional amendments and would require donors who are not foreign nationals to certify they have not received more than $100,000 from foreign nationals in the preceding four years. The House Committee on Elections added provisions authorizing enforcement by the attorney general, the staff member said.

Supporters told the committee the change is needed to prevent foreign influence in high-stakes ballot fights. “Enacting this legislation is a crucial step to ensure your politics are free from foreign meddling,” said Caitlin Sutherland, founding executive director of Americans Republic Trust, who testified in support. Sutherland cited press reporting about large donations routed through U.S. groups and warned similar avenues could be used by state actors or wealthy foreign individuals.

Jason Snead, executive director of Honest Elections Project ACTION, said the bill aims to close a loophole that currently allows foreign money to flow into ballot-measure campaigns. “A clear way to accomplish this is to require donors to affirm that they have not received more than a sum of money, in this case, $100,000 over a four-year period to help deal with that money fungibility problem,” Snead told the committee.

Questions from senators focused on enforcement, alignment with federal law and the difficulty of verifying donor attestations. Senator Clifford asked whether the bill aligns with federal law; the staff member said he would need to check whether federal law contains parallel prohibitions for ballot measures. Senator Dietrich asked which agency would oversee implementation; supporters indicated the Kansas Government Ethics Commission (recently renamed in discussion) would have responsibilities but confirmed the commission had not provided testimony to the committee.

Senators also raised verification concerns. Senator Gossage asked how the state would ensure affidavits are truthful; proponents pointed to existing criminal penalties and cited Ohio’s 2024 law as an example of a state that moved to bar similar foreign funding.

The hearing record shows proponent testimony from Americans Republic Trust, Honest Elections Project ACTION and Heritage Action for America. Opponent testimony in this committee was submitted in writing by Dale Enyard, Mary Stang and Carrie Sue Vosberg (Sedgwick County Committee Woman); Sedgwick County provided a neutral written comment through Brett Anderson, according to the transcript.

The committee closed the hearing without taking a final vote on HB 2106. The staff explanation, proponent statements and written opposition remain in the record as the committee considers next steps.

The transcript record for the hearing contains the bill text summary, questions from senators about enforcement and constitutional concerns, and proponent examples of foreign-funded groups. No committee vote on the bill was recorded at the close of the hearing.