I 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5336 

To amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 to limit the exemption 

from the registration requirements of such Act for persons engaging 

in activities in furtherance of bona fide religious, scholastic, academic, 

or scientific pursuits or the fine arts to activities which do not promote 

the political agenda of a foreign government, to amend the Higher 

Education Act of 1965 to clarify the disclosures of foreign gifts by 

institutions, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 20, 2018 

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently 

determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 

to limit the exemption from the registration requirements 

of such Act for persons engaging in activities in furtherance of bona fide religious, scholastic, academic, or scientific pursuits or the fine arts to activities which do 

not promote the political agenda of a foreign government, 

to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to clarify 

the disclosures of foreign gifts by institutions, and for 

other purposes. 


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•HR 5336 IH

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Foreign Influence 

5 Transparency Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. LIMITING EXEMPTION FROM FOREIGN AGENT REG7 ISTRATION REQUIREMENT FOR PERSONS EN8 GAGING IN ACTIVITIES IN FURTHERANCE OF 

9 CERTAIN PURSUITS TO ACTIVITIES NOT PRO10 MOTING POLITICAL AGENDA OF FOREIGN 

11 GOVERNMENTS. 

12 (a) LIMITATION ON EXEMPTION.—Section 3(e) of the 

13 Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (22 U.S.C. 

14 613(e)) is amended by striking the semicolon at the end 

15 and inserting the following: ‘‘, but only if the activities 

16 do not promote the political agenda of a government of 

17 a foreign country;’’. 

18 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

19 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to activities carried 

20 out on or after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

21 SEC. 3. DISCLOSURES OF FOREIGN GIFTS. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 117 of the Higher Edu23 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1011f) is amended— 

24 (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol25 lows: 


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1 ‘‘(a) DISCLOSURE REPORT.—An institution shall file 

2 a disclosure report with the Secretary on January 31 or 

3 July 31, whichever is sooner, whenever one or more of the 

4 following paragraphs applies to such institution: 

5 ‘‘(1) The institution is owned or controlled by 

6 a foreign source. 

7 ‘‘(2) The institution receives a gift from or en8 ters into a contract with a foreign source, the value 

9 of which is $50,000 or more for such gift from or 

10 contract with that foreign source within a calendar 

11 year. 

12 ‘‘(3) The institution receives a gift from or en13 ters into a contract with a foreign source, the value 

14 of which is $250,000 or more, considered in com15 bination with all other gifts from or contracts with 

16 that foreign source within a calendar year.’’; 

17 (2) in subsection (b)— 

18 (A) in paragraph (1), in the first sentence, 

19 by inserting before the period at the end the 

20 following: ‘‘, and the content of each such con21 tract’’; and 

22 (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting before 

23 the period the following: ‘‘, and the content of 

24 each such contract’’; 


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1 (3) in subsection (e), by inserting ‘‘, including 

2 the contents of any contracts,’’ after ‘‘reports’’; and 

3 (4) in subsection (h)(3), by inserting before the 

4 semicolon at the end the following: ‘‘, or the fair 

5 market value of an in-kind gift’’. 

6 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

7 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to gifts received 

8 or contracts entered into, or other activities carried out, 

9 on or after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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