Bill > SB2558

This bill amends Mississippi's lobbying disclosure laws to require registered lobbyists to disclose whether their clients are representatives of foreign adversaries. Specifically, the bill adds new definitions for "Foreign Adversary" (entities designated as such by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce) and "Foreign Principal" (which includes governments, political parties, organizations, and individuals from foreign adversary countries). When registering annually with the Secretary of State, lobbyists must now include information about whether their client is a foreign principal of a foreign adversary, and if so, they must name the specific foreign adversary. The bill also makes some minor grammatical updates to existing language, such as changing "his or her" to "his or her" in certain sections. The new requirements will take effect on July 1, 2025, giving lobbyists and the Secretary of State's office time to prepare for the new disclosure mandate. This legislation aims to increase transparency about potential foreign influence in state-level lobbying activities by requiring explicit identification of clients with connections to designated foreign adversary nations.

Government Affairs

https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2025/pdf/history/SB/SB2558.xml