**Georgian Parliament Introduces US-Legislation Clone**
A bill with the title “Foreign Agents Registration Act” has been introduced to the Georgian Parliament. This is a word-for-word translation of the same law from the United States.
The head of Parliament’s Legal Department, Aleksandre Tabatadze, said that the new law contains errors and inaccuracies that need to be corrected. He explained that the US version of the law mentions American institutions like Congress and the State Department, which do not exist in Georgia. The bill also only includes one amendment to the Criminal Code, while other necessary amendments are missing.
Tabatadze stated that Georgian authorities will have to define new institutions responsible for enforcing the law. He suggested that the goal is to declare an existing similar legislative act void, and that a corresponding bill should be attached.
**Politicians Defend Decision**
In response to criticism, the Chairman of the Legal Affairs Committee, Archil Gorduladze, defended the decision to introduce a verbatim translation of the American law. He said this was done to avoid any claims of misinterpretation in the translation.
Gorduladze stated that Georgian authorities will adjust official bodies and institutions to fit their own reality. The goal is to have penalties and sanctions similar to those in the US.
The Speaker of Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, also commented on the initiative, saying that the introduced bill is a word-for-word translation of FARA, with every detail identical to the US law.
**Next Steps**
The “Foreign Agents Registration Act” has been forwarded to the Parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee for further discussion.