Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today introduced the Preventing Malign Chinese Influence on Academic Institutions Act to increase transparency for schools that accept monetary gifts from Communist China.
“The Chinese Communist Party has been targeting our universities for a long time, and Americans deserve to know whether their schools are yoking themselves to such an oppressive, aggressive regime. This bill would shine a light on where Beijing is peddling its influence on the U.S. campuses that shape the minds and hearts of America’s next generation,” said Kennedy.
Under Kennedy’s bill, any educational institution that receives more than $5,000 from a Chinese-affiliated entity in any given year would have to disclose the full name of the donor to the Department of Education. The school would also have to provide instructions on how the Department of Education can gather more information about the donation.
Chinese-affiliated entities would include individuals; universities; think tanks; cultural, educational or language programs; Chinese state-owned entities; or companies, think tanks or nonprofits that have members of the Chinese Communist Party sitting on their boards of directors.
The bill would also require any institution that interacts with a Chinese organization to disclose all joint activities, including exchanges or research.
In addition, institutions would have to publish all contracts and agreements with Chinese entities on their websites so that the public can access that information.
Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas) introduced the companion legislation in the House of Representatives.
“The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is infiltrating American universities and using creative avenues to steal intellectual property and U.S. research. This legislation increases transparency by requiring universities who receive funding from CCP-affiliated individuals or organizations to disclose these donations to the U.S. Department of Education and publish them on a publicly-available website. Americans deserve a clear picture of the CCP’s malign activities in our universities. I am grateful to Senator Kennedy for his leadership on this issue, and am proud to work with him in getting it signed into law,” said Pfluger.
Full text of the legislation is available here.