Title: Protecting Academic Integrity Act of 2019
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Protecting Academic Integrity Act of 2019
This bill revises certain disclosure requirements for institutions of higher education (IHEs).
Specifically, the bill requires an IHE to disclose to the Department of Education any gift from or contract with a foreign entity or individual valued at $50,000 or more. Currently, an IHE must make such a disclosure if the gift or contract is valued at $250,000 or more.
An IHE must report, if available, the purpose of the gift or contract.
The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to study and report on IHEs' compliance with these disclosure requirements.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3921 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3921

  To require an institution of higher education to file a disclosure 
   report with the Secretary of Education whenever such institution 
 receives a gift from or enters into a contract with a foreign source, 
     the value of which is $50,000 or more, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 23, 2019

  Mr. Perry introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require an institution of higher education to file a disclosure 
   report with the Secretary of Education whenever such institution 
 receives a gift from or enters into a contract with a foreign source, 
     the value of which is $50,000 or more, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Protecting Academic Integrity Act of 
2019''.

SEC. 2. DISCLOSURE OF FOREIGN GIFTS.

    (a) Value of Gifts.--Section 117(a) of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1011f(a)) is amended by striking ``$250,000'' and 
inserting ``$50,000''.
    (b) Contents of Report.--Section 117(b) of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1011f(b)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``and, when available, 
        the specific department, agency, office, or division of the 
        foreign government responsible for the gift or contract'' 
        before the period at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (3), by inserting ``and, when available, 
        the specific department, agency, office, or division of the 
        foreign government responsible for the gift or contract'' 
        before the period at the end; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) If available, the purpose or intention of a foreign 
        gift or contract. If no purpose or intention is identified with 
        respect to the gift or contract, the institution shall report 
        the intended use of such gift or contract and the account or 
        the department of such institution that will receive such gift 
        or contract.''.
    (c) Additional Disclosures for Restricted and Conditional Gifts.--
Section 117(c)(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1011f(c)(2)) is amended by inserting ``and, when available, the 
specific department, agency, office, or division of the foreign 
government responsible for the gift or contract'' before the period at 
the end.
    (d) Applicability.--This section and the amendments made by this 
section shall take effect on the date that is 1 year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. GAO STUDY AND REPORT.

    (a) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall 
carry out a study on--
            (1) the extent to which institutions of higher education 
        comply with--
                    (A) the requirements of section 117 of the Higher 
                Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1011f); and
                    (B) the regulations issued pursuant to such 
                section;
            (2) in the case of institutions of higher education that 
        fail to comply with such requirements, the reasons for the 
        failure of such institutions of higher education to comply;
            (3) the extent to which institutions of higher education 
        attempt to correct a failure to comply with such requirements; 
        and
            (4) the Federal efforts to increase compliance with such 
        requirements.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit 
to Congress a report that includes the results of the study conducted 
under subsection (a).
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