Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Foreign Funding Higher Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate committee approves bill tightening foreign funding disclosures for Georgia higher education
Summary
The Georgia Senate Higher Education Committee voted unanimously to pass Senate Bill 181, which the sponsor said would require stronger reporting on foreign gifts and contracts to public colleges and universities amid concerns about influence from certain countries.
The Georgia Senate Higher Education Committee unanimously approved Senate Bill 181 on a voice/hand vote after a short presentation from the bill's sponsor.
Sponsor Senator Joshua Anavataarte told the committee the bill aims to address “undue foreign influences” on U.S. campuses and strengthen reporting by state institutions of gifts and contracts from foreign sources. He said public institutions have disclosed receiving more than $8,000,000 in gifts from China and over $40,000,000 in contracts from China, plus $1,000,000 from Lebanon and more than $250,000 from Turkey, and argued existing federal reporting under the Higher Education Act of 1965 has proved insufficient. “I can only imagine the true total amount of funding the Georgia institutions may have received from foreign adversaries and countries of concern,” Anavataarte said.
The senator cited a recent House Committee on Oversight letter and Department of Education data that he said show foreign nations gave more than $57,000,000,000 to U.S. institutions since 1981. He told the committee that many gifts and contracts lack transaction descriptions or named foreign owners, which he said makes it difficult to determine whether funding may influence public institutions.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about which countries the bill would cover and whether Georgia should maintain its own list of restricted countries or defer to federal designations. Chair Burns and other members noted the bill as drafted references the federal designation of foreign adversaries and urged caution about creating a separate state list that might raise enforcement or foreign‑relations issues. Senator Moore asked whether Lebanon and Turkey still have active contracts with Georgia institutions; Anavataarte said his research suggested those relationships may not be current but that the bill's intent is to ensure transparency going forward.
No members of the public who signed up addressed the committee about SB 181 during the allotted public-comment window. Senator Williams moved the committee to “do pass,” Senator Hickman seconded, and the motion carried by unanimous uplifted hands.
The committee record shows the measure passed out of committee; the bill will proceed to the next step in the legislative process.
Ending
Senate Bill 181 passed the Higher Education Committee without opposition at the hearing. The sponsor said the measure would rely on federal definitions of foreign adversaries; committee members asked staff to monitor enforceability and the referenced federal lists as the bill moves forward.
