On September 25, the Frank Church Institute, Boise State University College of Business and Economics, and Holland & Hart LLP hosted “U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act at 40 – Four Decades of Combating Bribery Abroad,” a panel discussion on the events leading to the FCPA’s enactment, as well as the FCPA’s impact on global business over the past 40 years and beyond.
In the mid-1970s, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Multinational Corporations, which was chaired by Senator Frank Church of Idaho, played a leading role in investigating U.S. companies’ questionable payments to foreign government officials. The Church Subcommittee’s investigation helped to lead to President Jimmy Carter signing the FCPA into law on December 19, 1977, making it unlawful for certain classes of individuals and companies to make payments to foreign government officials to assist in obtaining or retaining business.