House Passes DETERRENT Act Again
The House passed the DETERRENT Act (H. R. 1048) with a bipartisan vote of 241-169 after a heated debate. Of the votes in favor, 31 Democrats joined 210 Republicans for passage.
The bill requires expanded foreign gift reporting under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act. The threshold for reporting foreign gifts to institutions of higher education is lowered from $250,000 to $50,000 and to $0 for countries of concern, which are China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. Individual gifts to faculty and staff must also be reported to the institution and maintained in a searchable database.
In addition to the well-known argument about the concern about malign influence from China, a new line of argument arose during the debate regarding foreign gifts providing funding to colleges and universities that ultimately supports antisemitic protests on campus. This line of argument goes beyond the previous concerns about foreign governments buying access to university research and intellectual property to foreign countries funding antisemitic teaching and activities at colleges and universities.
Democrats offered an alternative with similar goals but with more reasonable reporting targets. While agreeing that institutions of higher education need to be reporting appropriately under Section 117, they also argued that Republicans were promoting a bill to require increased reporting and oversight from the Department of Education, which they are proposing to eliminate.
Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) introduced a companion bill in the Senate during the 118th Congress and is expected to reintroduce it this year.
For more information, please contact:
Stephanie Giesecke