CHEYENNE –– Secretary of State Chuck Gray applauded the signing of House Bill 337, which aims to uphold election integrity by banning the use of foreign funding in ballot initiatives.

This bill was sponsored by Rep. Nina Webber, R-Cody, and makes Wyoming the second state to pass such a ban. The bill made its way through the Wyoming House of Representatives with a 58-2 vote on its third reading, with the Wyoming Senate voting 31-0 during its final reading. The bill prohibits direct and indirect funding from foreign entities towards groups, political committees, and organizations that have to file with the state.

These new regulations demand that contributions and expenses from the concerning party within the last five years are recorded and maintained with the party’s confirmation that the donors affirm they are not a foreign national. The concerning party also should not have received significant funding from prohibited sources in the past four years. Consequences of violating the law are enforced by civil action from the Secretary of State’s Office and will lead to civil penalties that are double the amount of whatever funds were donated or spent.

“I applaud the legislature’s passage of one of the 10 planks of our conservative election integrity reform agenda to ban foreign funding of elections,” Gray said. “Foreign funding has no place in our elections – period. This is a landmark piece of legislation, as Wyoming is now the second state in the nation to pass this ban. I want to thank Rep. Webber for her great work. This bill, a key part of our election integrity reform agenda, is pivotal to ensure foreign nationals are banned from meddling in Wyoming elections.”