Safeguarding American Education From Foreign Control Act

Safeguarding American Education From Foreign Control Act

This bill establishes a special disclosure rule requiring institutions of higher education (IHEs) to disclose any gift from or contract with a foreign source that is associated with a covered nation (i.e., North Korea, China, Russia, or Iran).

Under current law, an IHE must disclose to the Department of Education (ED) a gift from or contract with 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. This bill establishes a special disclosure rule relating to foreign sources associated with covered nations. Specifically, the bill requires an IHE to disclose any gift from or contract with a foreign source that is associated with a covered nation, regardless of the amount of the gift or contract.

The bill also directs ED to (1) transmit disclosure reports and related records to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), and (2) transmit periodic disclosure reports to the Department of State. Further, ED must notify the FBI and the ODNI regarding its investigations into noncompliance.

The bill allows the FBI and the ODNI to request that the Department of Justice bring a civil action to compel compliance with disclosure requirements.