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SB 1178FLORIDA · STATEWIDESession 2026Died on Calendar
High Impact

Foreign Interference Restriction and Enforcement Act (SB 1178)

Original title: Foreign Influence

January 6, 2026

foreign influencelobbyinggovernment contractingcritical infrastructurecriminal justicesurrogacycivil practice and proceduredomestic relationselectors and electionspublic businesspublic officers, employees, and recordstaxation and finance

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Where This Stands

Currently Died on Calendar. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Introduced.

Procedural history

12 actions
  1. Feb 25, 2026Senate
    On Committee agenda-- Appropriations, 03/02/26, 12:00 pm, 110 Senate Building
  2. Feb 3, 2026Senate
    Now in Appropriations
  3. Feb 3, 2026SenateCommittee
    Favorable by Judiciary; YEAS 11 NAYS 0
  4. Jan 29, 2026Senate
    On Committee agenda-- Judiciary, 02/03/26, 1:00 pm, 110 Senate Building
  5. Jan 29, 2026Senate
    CS by Ethics and Elections read 1st time
  6. Jan 29, 2026Senate
    Now in Judiciary
Show 6 earlier actions
  1. Jan 29, 2026Senate
    Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)
  2. Jan 28, 2026Senate
    CS by Ethics and Elections; YEAS 7 NAYS 0
  3. Jan 23, 2026Senate
    On Committee agenda-- Ethics and Elections, 01/28/26, 10:30 am, 37 Senate Building
  4. Jan 13, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Introduced
  5. Jan 12, 2026SenateCommittee
    Referred to Ethics and Elections; Judiciary; Appropriations
  6. Jan 6, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Filed

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

The Frame

What this does

The bill would have required lobbyists and government contractors to disclose foreign ownership, prohibited state agencies from contracting with certain foreign-linked entities, and mandated new ethics training for public officials regarding foreign influence, impacting how businesses and government entities interact with international interests.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Lobbyists

Must disclose foreign ownership of their principals on registration forms.

Government Contractors

Must provide affidavits regarding foreign ownership and face restrictions on IT and data-related contracts.

Public Officers

Subject to new ethics training requirements and prohibitions on accepting gifts from foreign sources.

Gestational Surrogates and Intended Parents

Must meet new citizenship or residency requirements for contracts to be enforceable.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 6, 2026.

What's next

Introduced.

Summary

This bill would have established new restrictions on lobbying, government contracting, and business operations involving 'foreign countries of concern' and designated terrorist organizations. It also proposed stricter requirements for surrogacy contracts and created new criminal penalties for enforcing foreign laws within Florida.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a 'foreign country of concern' under this bill?
The bill defines these as the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Republic of Cuba, the Venezuelan regime of Nicolás Maduro, and the Syrian Arab Republic.
How would this affect government contractors?
Contractors would be required to sign affidavits attesting they are not foreign sources of concern and would be prohibited from providing IT services or accessing personal data if they meet the 'foreign source of concern' criteria.
Does this bill change surrogacy laws?
Yes, it would require that both the volunteer mother and the commissioning couple be U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents for a surrogacy contract to be binding.

Why It Matters

The bill would have required lobbyists and government contractors to disclose foreign ownership, prohibited state agencies from contracting with certain foreign-linked entities, and mandated new ethics training for public officials regarding foreign influence, impacting how businesses and government entities interact with international interests.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Voting Record

Motion succeededsenate2/3/2026legiscanOfficial roll call ↗

Favorable

Total

11

Yes

11

No

0

Present

0

Not Voting

0

Abstain

0

Motion succeededsenate1/28/2026Official roll call ↗

Favorable with Committee Substitute

Total

9

Yes

8

No

0

Present

0

Not Voting

0

Abstain

0

Full roll-call analysis →

Sponsors

Connected Entities

organizationEthics and Elections“Committee reviewing the bill”Map →
dollar_amount37“Reference to Senate Building”Map →
dollar_amount110“Reference to Senate Building”Map →
locationSenate Building“Location of committee meetings”Map →
dollar_amount11“Judiciary vote count”Map →
organizationJudiciary“Committee reviewing the bill”Map →
organizationAppropriations“Committee reviewing the bill”Map →

Sources

Open source document

openstates.org

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance85
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy75
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment20
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz40
    Current news / social attention level

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