CONFUCIUS Act

Bill: 116-hr-7601
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Shalala, Donna E. [D-FL-27]
Introduced: 2020-07-13
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Area studies and international education

Asia

China

Contracts and agency

Education programs funding

Higher education

Research administration and funding

Teaching, teachers, curricula
Latest action: action_date: 2020-07-13
text: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

Summaries:
action_date: 2020-07-13
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Concerns Over Nations Funding University Campus Institutes in the United States Act or the CONFUCIUS Act</b></p> <p>This bill addresses China's influence on postsecondary educational institutions through Confucius Institutes, which are cultural institutes directly or indirectly funded by the Chinese government.</p> <p>Specifically, the bill establishes requirements for postsecondary educational institutions that receive federal funding and that have contracts or agreements with Confucius Institutes. The contracts or agreements must include clear provisions that (1) protect the academic freedom of the institutions; (2) prohibit the application of foreign law on the institutions' campuses; and (3) grant full managerial authority of the institutes to the institutions, including full control over teaching plans, activities, research grants, and employment decisions.</p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7601 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 13, 2020 Ms. Shalala (for herself and Mr. Gonzalez of Ohio ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To establish limitations regarding Confucius Institutes, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Concerns Over Nations Funding University Campus Institutes in the United States Act or the CONFUCIUS Act . 2. Restrictions on Confucius Institutes (a) Definition In this section, the term Confucius Institute means a cultural institute directly or indirectly funded by the Government of the People’s Republic of China. (b) Restrictions on Confucius Institutes An institution of higher education or other postsecondary educational institution (referred to in this section as an institution ) shall not be eligible to receive Federal funds from the Department of Education (except funds under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.) or other Department of Education funds that are provided directly to students) unless the institution ensures that any contract or agreement between the institution and a Confucius Institute includes clear provisions that— (1) protect academic freedom at the institution; (2) prohibit the application of any foreign law on any campus of the institution; and (3) grant full managerial authority of the Confucius Institute to the institution, including full control over what is being taught, the activities carried out, the research grants that are made, and who is employed at the Confucius Institute.