HB 2912

relating to a prohibition on engaging in lobbying activities on
behalf of a foreign adversary; providing a civil penalty.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 305, Government Code, is
amended by adding Section 305.030 to read as follows:
Sec. 305.030.  LOBBYING ON BEHALF OF FOREIGN ADVERSARY AND
RELATED PERSONS PROHIBITED; CIVIL ENFORCEMENT.  (a)  In this
(1)  "Control" means the direct or indirect power to
determine, direct, dictate, or decide important matters affecting
(A)  the ownership of at least 20 percent of the
total outstanding voting interest in an entity;
(C)  the ability to appoint or discharge a board
member, officer, director, employee, or contractor;
(D)  proxy voting, a special share, a contractual
arrangement, a legal obligation, or a formal or informal
arrangement to act in concert; or
(E)  another means of exercising power.
(2)  "Foreign adversary" means:
(A)  the People's Republic of China;
(C)  the Islamic Republic of Iran;
(D)  the Democratic People's Republic of Korea;
(F)  the Venezuelan regime under Nicolás Maduro;
(H)  an agency or entity under the control of a
country described by Paragraphs (A) through (G);
(I)  a person wholly or partly owned or operated
by or subject to the control of a country described by Paragraphs
(J)  a subsidiary or parent of a person described
(K)  a person organized under the laws of or that
has its principal place of business in a country described by
Paragraphs (A) through (G); and
(L)  a subsidiary of a person described by
(3)  "Foreign adversary client" means:
(i)  official in the executive, legislative,
administrative, military, or judicial branch of a foreign
(ii)  official of a foreign adversary
(iii)  executive or officer of a foreign
(B)  a corporation, business, or other entity that
has been formed by, or for the benefit of, a person described by
(C)  an immediate family member of a person
described by Paragraph (A), including the person's spouse, parent,
sibling, and child and a parent or sibling of the person's spouse.
(4)  "Foreign adversary political party" means an
organization or a combination of individuals in the jurisdictional
limits of a foreign adversary, including a unit or branch of a
foreign adversary's government, that is engaged in an activity
wholly or partly devoted to or whose aim or purpose is to:
(A)  establish, administer, control, or acquire
the administration or control of a foreign adversary or a
subdivision of a foreign adversary; or
(B)  further or influence the political or public
interests, policies, or relations of a foreign adversary or a
subdivision of a foreign adversary.
(5)  "Wholly or partly owned or operated" means:
(A)  for a person that is a publicly traded
company, that a foreign adversary has:
(i)  the ability to exercise control over
(ii)  access to any material, nonpublic, and
technical information in the company's possession; or
(iii)  other rights or involvement in
controlling or participating in the decision-making of the company
beyond those available to a retail investor holding an equivalent
(B)  for a person that is a privately held
company, that a foreign adversary has any share of ownership of the
(b)  A registrant may not communicate directly with one or
more members of the legislative or executive branch to influence
legislation or administrative action on behalf of a foreign
adversary, a foreign adversary client, or a foreign adversary
(c)  The attorney general may bring an action for injunctive
relief against a registrant who violates this section or is
threatening to violate this section.  In an injunction issued under
this section, a court may include reasonable requirements to
prevent further violations of this section.
(d)  In addition to injunctive relief under Subsection (c),
the attorney general may bring an action for civil penalties
against a registrant who violates this section.  A civil penalty
assessed under this section must be in an amount not to exceed
(e)  The attorney general may recover reasonable expenses
incurred in bringing an action under this section, including court
costs, reasonable attorney's fees, investigative costs, witness
SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.