Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Foreign Agents Registration Modernization Act of 2021”.
Foreign Agents Registration Modernization Act of 2021
A BILL
To amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended, to require registration statements filed under that Act to be filed in a structured data format to enable the statements to be digitized for purposes of the publicly available electronic database maintained under that Act, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Modifications relating to FARA registration statements
Format—
In general— Section 2(g) of the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 612(g)), is amended—
in the subsection heading, by striking “Electronic” and inserting “Format for”; and
by striking “shall be filed” and all that follows through the period at the end and inserting the following:
“(1) an electronic, structured data format under which the statement or supplement shall be published in a publicly available, machine-processable digital format for purposes of the National Foreign Agents Database under section 6(d)(1); and
“(2) such other formats as the Attorney General may require.”
Effective date— The amendments made by paragraph (1) shall apply with respect to statements and supplements filed under section 2 of the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 612), on or after the date that is 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
Electronic database—
Searchability and sortability; designation— Section 6(d) of the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 616(d)), is amended—
in the subsection heading, by striking “updates” and inserting “supplements”; and
in paragraph (1)—
in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking “to the extent technically practicable, an electronic database that” and inserting “an electronic database, to be known as the “National Foreign Agents Database”, that”; and
in subparagraph (A), by striking “includes the information contained in registration statements and updates” and inserting “includes, in a digitized format that achieves compliance with the applicable digital accessibility standards described in section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d), the information contained in registration statements and supplements”.
Posting on receipt— Section 6(d)(2) of the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 616(d)(2)), is amended—
by striking “update” each place it appears and inserting “supplement”; and
by striking “as soon as technically practicable” and inserting “immediately”.
Effective date— The amendments made by this subsection shall take effect on the date that is 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act.