HB 358 Alabama House · 2026 Regular Session

Foreign agents; Certain foreign agents and foreign political organizations required to register with Secretary of State, civil penalties imposed for violations

HB 358 requires agents of hostile foreign principals (from designated countries like North Korea, Iran, China, and Russia) and foreign-supported political organizations engaging in political activity within Alabama to register with the Secretary of State. Registrants must disclose detailed information including funding sources, business operations, ownership, and specific political activities they perform. The bill establishes civil penalties for non-compliance, with appeals allowed to the State Ethics Commission. This directly affects foreign entities or individuals operating in Alabama’s political sphere on behalf of designated hostile governments or organizations.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 29, 2026 Last action Feb 25, 2026

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What changed between versions

Introduced → Ethics and Campaign Finance 1st Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to replace the term 'hostile' with 'certain' and to remove specific country names from the definitions, broadening the scope of entities subject to registration. This change allows the legislation to apply to foreign principals that may not currently be on a specific 'hostile' list, while adding language to protect local companies owned by foreign entities.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from targeting only 'hostile' foreign principals to targeting 'certain' foreign principals, removing the explicit list of hostile countries and replacing it with a broader ownership threshold.

DEFINITION

The term 'hostile foreign principal' was changed to 'foreign principal,' and the specific list of 'hostile foreign countries' was replaced with a new definition of 'foreign country' that includes the same four nations but removes the 'hostile' label.

ELIGIBILITY

A new criterion was added to define a 'foreign principal,' requiring that domestic entities be at least 20% beneficially owned by a foreign country, alien, or entity to be included under the bill.

SCOPE

New findings were added acknowledging that foreign-owned companies employing Alabama residents contribute to the state's economy, aiming to exempt or protect these specific entities from the bill's restrictions.

REQUIREMENT

The registration requirements were modified to apply to 'agents of certain foreign principals' rather than 'agents of hostile foreign principals,' expanding the group of people required to register.

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 25, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

lower

Jan 29, 2026

Lower · Passed

Pending Committee Action in House of Origin (Ethics and Campaign Finance)

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors