# What This Bill Does

This bill requires American colleges and universities to publicly report when they receive money, gifts, or enter into agreements with organizations connected to China's government. Essentially, it's about transparency—making sure that donations and partnerships between U.S. schools and Chinese entities are disclosed to the federal government and made visible to the public.

Here's what would trigger the reporting requirement: if a college gets a gift worth $5,000 or more from a China-affiliated organization, or signs a contract with one, the school must file a report with the Department of Education. The bill defines "China-affiliated organizations" broadly to include cultural or educational institutes funded by China, think tanks receiving significant Chinese Communist Party funding, Chinese state-owned companies, and any organization where Chinese Communist Party members or Chinese state company executives hold significant board positions or ownership stakes (more than 5 percent). Schools would also need to annually report any joint research projects, academic exchanges, or other collaborative activities with these organizations, and they'd have to post the full text of any agreements with Chinese entities on their websites for anyone to see.

The practical effect is that colleges would lose some privacy around their international partnerships and funding sources. Schools that have legitimate research collaborations or receive donations from Chinese sources would need to navigate new reporting requirements and public scrutiny. For students and taxpayers, the bill aims to provide visibility into foreign influence at American universities, though it doesn't actually restrict these relationships—it just requires them to be disclosed. The reporting deadlines are twice yearly (January 31 or July 31), so schools would need to set up systems to track and report these transactions regularly.

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require institutions of higher education to disclose certain ties to China-affiliated organizations, and for other purposes.

This bill requires institutions of higher education (IHEs) to disclose information regarding gifts from and contracts with China-affiliated organizations. China-affiliated organization refers to any entity that receives support directly or indirectly from the Chinese government, including certain educational institutes or programs, think tanks, and business entities. Under current law, an IHE must disclose to the Department of Education (ED) a gift or contract from a foreign source that is valued at $250,000 or more, considered alone or in combination with all other gifts from or contracts with that foreign source in a calendar year. This bill establishes a special disclosure rule relating to China-affiliated organizations. Specifically, the bill requires an IHE to disclose a gift from or contract with a China-affiliated organization that is valued at $5,000 or more, considered alone or in combination with all other gifts from or contracts with that organization in a calendar year. Additionally, the bill requires an IHE that receives federal grants to annually file a report with ED that identifies any activities conducted pursuant to a contract or other agreement between the IHE and a China-affiliated organization, including any joint research or academic exchanges. Such a contract or other agreement must be made available on a publicly accessible website of the IHE.