Transparency for Confucius Institutes

Bill: 116-s-3453
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN]
Introduced: 2020-03-12
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Area studies and international education

Asia

China

Higher education

School administration
Latest action: action_date: 2020-03-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Summaries:
action_date: 2020-03-12
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Transparency for Confucius Institutes</b></p> <p>This bill requires an institution of higher education (IHE) that participates in federal student-aid programs to enter into a program participation agreement if a Confucius Institute operates on the IHE's campus. (Confucius Institutes are Chinese government-funded centers for language education and cultural programming at IHEs.)</p> <p>The agreement must be entered into with the Office of Chinese Language Council International (i.e., Confucius Institute Headquarters, Hanban) and be made publicly available online. </p> <p>Among other requirements, the Confucius Institute must be physically located apart from the IHE's own Chinese language, history, and cultural programs.</p>

tv_txt: II 116th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 3453 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 12, 2020 Mrs. Blackburn (for herself, Mr. Hawley , Mr. Cotton , Mr. Scott of Florida , Mr. Lankford , Mr. Lee , Mr. Rubio , and Mr. Cruz ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require program participation agreements between institutions of higher education and Hanban if a Confucius Institute operates on the campus of the institution.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Transparency for Confucius Institutes . 2. Program participation agreements between institutions and Hanban Section 487(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1094(a) ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (30) If a Confucius Institute (as defined in section 1091 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (132 Stat. 1997; Public Law 115–232 )) operates on the campus of the institution, the institution shall enter into a program participation agreement with the Office of Chinese Language Council International (commonly known as Hanban ) that— (A) clearly delineates between the Confucius Institute's programs and the institution’s own Chinese language programs; (B) locates the Confucius Institute physically apart from the Chinese language programs, Chinese history programs, and Chinese cultural programs within the institution’s organizational structure and separates promotions for the Confucius Institute from promotions for the institution’s Chinese language programs, Chinese history programs, and Chinese cultural programs; (C) removes the Chinese assistant director position from the Confucius Institute; (D) subjects the staff and professors of the Confucius Institute to appropriate background checks; (E) is publicly available in its entirety online; (F) does not have a confidentiality section; and (G) provides that the institution has final decision-making authority, including with regard to conference themes, guest speakers, and topics for events on campus at the institution. .