| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to prohibiting public institutions of higher education and |
|
|
employees of public institutions of higher education from |
|
|
soliciting or accepting gifts, grants, donations, or investments |
|
|
from certain foreign entities. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 51.984 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 51.984. PROHIBITION ON SOLICITING OR ACCEPTING GIFTS, |
|
|
GRANTS, DONATIONS, OR INVESTMENTS FROM CERTAIN FOREIGN ENTITIES. |
|
|
(a) In this section: |
|
|
(1) "Designated country" means a country identified by |
|
|
the United States Director of National Intelligence as a country |
|
|
that poses a risk to the national security of the United States in |
|
|
each of the three most recent Annual Threat Assessments of the U.S. |
|
|
Intelligence Community issued pursuant to Section 108B, National |
|
|
Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. Section 3043b). |
|
|
(2) "Institution of higher education" has the meaning |
|
|
assigned by Section 61.003. |
|
|
(b) Notwithstanding any other law, an institution of higher |
|
|
education or an employee of an institution of higher education in |
|
|
the employee's official or private capacity may not solicit or |
|
|
accept a gift, grant, donation, or investment from: |
|
|
(1) a governmental entity of a designated country; |
|
|
(2) a political party of a designated country, |
|
|
including private money from any party member; or |
|
|
(3) a company: |
|
|
(A) that is headquartered in a designated |
|
|
country; and |
|
|
(B) in which a governmental entity of a |
|
|
designated country holds an ownership interest. |
|
|
(c) An institution of higher education or an employee of an |
|
|
institution of higher education shall return any money or other |
|
|
thing of value received in violation of this section during the |
|
|
preceding state fiscal biennium to the entity or entities that |
|
|
provided the money or other thing of value to the institution or |
|
|
employee. |
|
|
(d) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board may adopt |
|
|
rules as necessary to implement this section. |
|
|
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |