Federal

Transparency in College Foreign Payments Act

Source: Congress.gov · 373 words in original text

What This Bill Does

This bill strengthens the rules that colleges and universities must follow when reporting gifts and contracts from foreign sources. The bill changes the reporting requirements in Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require more detailed information about where foreign money comes from and how institutions receive it.

Who It Affects

Institutions of higher education (colleges and universities) that receive gifts or contracts from foreign sources must provide more detailed disclosure information.

Key Provisions

• Colleges must now identify each foreign source by name, whether that source is a person or a legal entity like a company or organization (Sec. 2) • Colleges must report the name of each foreign government involved, including specific government agencies or departments when applicable (Sec. 2) • Colleges must identify the specific department, college, project or division within the institution that receives the foreign gift or contract (Sec. 2) • Colleges must disclose the identity of the foreign source alongside the amount of money and a description of the intended purpose of the gift or contract (Sec. 2)

What Changes

Colleges will have to report much more specific information about foreign gifts and contracts. Instead of just reporting total dollar amounts, they must now name the exact foreign sources, identify which government agencies are involved, specify which part of the college receives the money, and explain what the money will be used for.

Important Definitions

None defined in bill text.

I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1739 To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to strengthen the disclosure requirements for institutions of higher education related to foreign gifts and contracts. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 23, 2023 Mrs. BICE (for herself, Mrs. MCCLAIN, Mr. LAMBORN, and Mr. STAUBER) in- troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Edu- cation and the Workforce A BILL To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to strengthen the disclosure requirements for institutions of higher edu- cation related to foreign gifts and contracts. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Transparency in Col- 4 lege Foreign Payments Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. DISCLOSURE OF FOREIGN GIFTS AND CONTRACTS. 6 Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 7 U.S.C. 1011f) is amended— 8 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:18 Apr 06, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1739.IH H1739 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 1739 IH (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘the value’’ 1 and all that follows through ‘‘calendar year,’’; 2 (2) in subsection (b)— 3 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘the 4 identity of each foreign source (whether a nat- 5 ural person or a legal entity), and’’ before ‘‘the 6 aggregate dollar’’; and 7 (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, and 8 the name of each foreign government (including 9 the name of each specific government agency or 10 department, if applicable)’’ before the period; 11 and 12 (3) in paragraph (1) of subsection (c)— 13 (A) by inserting ‘‘the identity of the for- 14 eign source,’’ before ‘‘the amount,’’; and 15 (B) by striking ‘‘and a description of’’ and 16 inserting ‘‘the identity of the specific depart- 17 ment, college, project, or other division of the 18 institution that is the recipient (if applicable), 19 and a description of the intended purpose and’’. 20 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:18 Apr 06, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H1739.IH H1739 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS

Important: This plain English summary was generated by AI and is provided for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice. Always consult the official bill text on Congress.gov or a qualified attorney for legal matters.