Ban Dark Money

A bill to prohibit state, local, and public-institution funding, contracts, and partnerships with foreign-influenced, opaque, or subversive networks; to require full donor disclosure and foreign-agent transparency for organizations engaging in Michigan political, educational, or policy activity; to protect elections and public institutions from foreign and dark-money influence; to establish an independent Influence Oversight Commission; and to provide enforcement, penalties, and related matters.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

Section 1. Short Title.

This act shall be known and may be cited as the “Michigan Foreign and Dark Money Influence Prohibition Act” or the “Michigan Transparency and Sovereignty Protection Act.”

Section 2. Legislative Findings.

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) Opaque “dark money” networks and foreign-linked organizations have sought to influence Michigan elections, education, policy, and civil society without adequate transparency.

(b) Foreign adversarial influence, including from the Chinese Communist Party and other designated adversaries, and networks with documented ties to foreign Islamist organizations that have been linked to terrorism financing or the Muslim Brotherhood, pose risks to public safety, community cohesion, and constitutional governance when they receive taxpayer support or operate without disclosure.

(c) Billionaire-funded pass-through entities and donor-advised structures that conceal ultimate donors undermine electoral integrity and public trust.

(d) Michigan taxpayers must not be required to subsidize organizations that conceal foreign or dark-money funding while engaging in political advocacy, electioneering, or influence over public institutions.

(e) All actions under this act shall be grounded in evidence, due process, existing legal authorities (including foreign-agent registration principles), and the Constitutions of the United States and the State of Michigan. This act targets the use of public resources and the requirement of transparency; it does not prohibit private speech or association protected by the First Amendment.

Section 3. Definitions.

As used in this act:

(a) “Dark-money organization” means any nonprofit, advocacy group, or pass-through entity that engages in Michigan electioneering, ballot-initiative activity, or policy advocacy while failing to disclose donors above the threshold established in this act.

(b) “Foreign-influenced entity” means any organization that receives substantial funding from, is controlled by, or acts as an agent of a foreign government, foreign political party, or foreign national, including entities linked to designated foreign adversaries.

(c) “Designated foreign adversary” means the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese Communist Party, Iran, and any other nation or entity designated by the United States government as a foreign adversary for influence or national-security purposes.

(d) “Public institution” means any state agency, local government, public university, community college, school district, or other entity receiving state funds.

Section 4. Zero Taxpayer Support for Non-Compliant and Foreign-Influenced Networks.

(1) No state, local, or public-institution funds, contracts, grants, partnerships, or facilities access shall be provided to any organization that:

(a) Fails to comply with the donor-disclosure requirements of this act while engaging in political, educational, or policy influence activities in Michigan;

(b) Is a foreign-influenced entity linked to a designated foreign adversary;

(c) Has been determined, after notice and opportunity to be heard, to have verifiable operational or financial ties to the Muslim Brotherhood or to organizations designated by the United States as foreign terrorist organizations or unindicted co-conspirators in terrorism-financing cases; or

(d) Operates primarily through opaque donor-advised funds or pass-through structures (including networks associated with Arabella Advisors, Tides, Sixteen Thirty Fund, and similar entities) while concealing ultimate donors and engaging in Michigan election or policy influence.

(2) Existing partnerships or contracts with non-compliant organizations shall be terminated as soon as legally permissible. Past funding shall be audited and misspent taxpayer dollars recovered where legally available.

Section 5. Mandatory Donor Disclosure.

(1) Any nonprofit, 501(c)(4), or similar organization that spends more than a modest threshold on Michigan elections, ballot initiatives, voter mobilization, or policy advocacy shall disclose all donors contributing $5,000 or more in a calendar year. Disclosures shall be filed with the Secretary of State and made publicly available.

(2) Failure to disclose shall result in loss of state tax benefits, prohibition on receipt of public funds or contracts, and civil penalties.

(3) Organizations substantially funded by George Soros, the Open Society Foundations, or functionally equivalent opaque networks that engage in political advocacy, election-related activity, or criminal-justice policy advocacy in Michigan are subject to the same disclosure and public-funding restrictions.

Section 6. Foreign Adversary and Election Integrity Protections.

(1) No foreign national, foreign government, foreign-influenced entity, or dark-money organization may contribute to or coordinate with Michigan candidate campaigns, political parties, ballot-initiative committees, or voter-mobilization efforts.

(2) Public schools and universities are prohibited from partnering with or receiving funding from organizations restricted under this act for curriculum, training, or programming.

(3) The prohibitions of this act extend to entities linked to Qatar, Turkey, Iran, or other adversarial nations when those entities engage in influence operations in Michigan.

Section 7. Influence Oversight Commission.

(1) There is established an independent Influence Oversight Commission with subpoena authority to investigate funding flows, designate organizations as non-compliant under the criteria of this act after notice and opportunity to respond, and recommend termination of public funding or contracts.

(2) The Commission shall maintain a public transparency dashboard listing restricted organizations, evidence summaries (consistent with due process and privacy protections), and funding trails.

(3) The Commission shall publish annual reports on designations, funds recovered, and enforcement actions.

Section 8. Whistleblower Incentives and Penalties.

(1) Substantial rewards, financed by recovered funds, shall be available to individuals who expose hidden foreign or dark-money funding flows or influence operations that violate this act.

(2) Violations shall result in civil fines, loss of state tax-exempt recognition where applicable, contract termination, and referral for criminal prosecution for fraud, failure to register as a foreign agent under applicable law, or misuse of public funds.

(3) Assets tied to illegal or fraudulent influence activity may be subject to review and forfeiture under existing civil-forfeiture and fraud statutes.

Section 9. Positive Alternatives and Civic Education.

The State shall support transparent, American-led civil-rights, community, and philanthropic organizations that operate with full donor disclosure and align with constitutional values. Public civic education shall include instruction on American constitutional principles and the risks of foreign ideological infiltration.

Section 10. Implementation and Executive Coordination.

State agencies are directed to review existing relationships and terminate non-compliant ties as rapidly as lawful contracts and due process permit. The Attorney General shall prioritize enforcement of disclosure and foreign-influence restrictions.

Section 11. Severability.

If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act and the application of its provisions to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected. Designations of specific organizations shall be made pursuant to the criteria and process established herein and shall not constitute a bill of attainder.

Section 12. Effective Date.

This act takes effect 90 days after enactment. Disclosure requirements and the Influence Oversight Commission shall be operational within 180 days. Existing non-compliant contracts shall be reviewed and terminated at the earliest lawful opportunity.

Enacting Section.

This act is ordered to take immediate effect.

American Sovereignty Only. No Foreign or Dark Money Influence.

Michigan First. Transparency First.

Cut the Strings. Restore the Republic.