Representative Greg Steube (R-FL) is introducing legislation banning universities from accepting financial contributions from hostile foreign countries.
Named the Securing Academia from Foreign Entanglements (SAFE) Act, the bill specifically amends the 1965 Higher Education Act to include this ban and further requires the reporting of all gifts or contracts with foreign sources from "covered nations" to the Department of Education, the FBI, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
"Students and faculty deserve full confidence that their university's finances are transparent and above board," said Rep. Steube in his press release, adding, " Allowing foreign adversaries to gain a foothold in our education system is a direct threat to both our national security and the integrity of American higher education. My bill will address this threat by banning universities from accepting gifts or entering contractual agreements with suspect foreign nations and restoring transparency to university financing."
Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) is introducing a companion bill in the Senate.
Rep. Steube is not the only Florida Republican to call attention to hostile foreign influence on American education in recent months, as February saw Representative Aaron Bean (R-FL) reintroduce the Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education (TRACE) Act.
Rep. Bean's legislation requires schools to notify parents of how and where foreign funding affects their child's educational curriculum at the K-12 level.
In March, Representative Scott Franklin (R-FL) celebrated the House's passage of the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act.
Initially introduced by Representative Michael Baumgartner (R-WA), the bill is very similar to Steube's, requiring colleges and universities to disclose the reception of gifts from foreign adversaries such as China and Russia or foreign organizations of concern. Additionally, institutions of higher learning are prohibited from entering into contracts with such countries or entities unless a waiver is obtained. Private institutions with specified assets or investments must file annual investment disclosure reports.
