In committee
DETERRENT Act
This bill requires colleges and universities to disclose foreign gifts and contracts worth $50,000 or more, while requiring the disclosure of any amount received from designated foreign countries or entities of concern. It prohibits higher education institutions from signing contracts with countries of concern without a federal waiver and requires staff at major research universities to report personal foreign income and gifts. Large private universities must also disclose their endowment investments in countries of concern, and schools that violate these reporting rules face significant financial penalties or temporary loss of federal student aid eligibility.
People affected—not determinable from the text provided; the bill applies broadly to Title IV eligible institutions of higher education, covered research faculty, and compliance officers, but does not specify total counts.
Fiscal magnitude—CBO cost estimate published (H.R. 1048, DETERRENT Act, 2025-03-10); dollar figure pending review extraction — see receipt
Reach67provisional · pending reviewrigor: heuristic llm
What this bill touches.
Security vs. privacy−35Ethics & oversight+60Regulation (cross-sector)+55
Who it helps · who it burdens.
Who it helps
- Federal national security, intelligence, and research agenciesFederal intelligence, defense, law enforcement, foreign affairs, and research agencies automatically receive unredacted disclosure reports within 30 days of receipt and historical compliance investigation records within 90 days (Sec. 2(a), Sec. 2(c)).
Who it burdens
- Colleges and universitiesMust submit annual reports detailing foreign gifts and contracts of $50,000 or more (and all transactions with foreign countries or entities of concern), establish compliance policies, designate compliance officers, and risk civil fines and loss of federal student financial aid (Title IV) eligibility for noncompliance (Sec. 2(a), Sec. 5(a), Sec. 5(b)).
- Researchers and faculty at major research institutionsCovered faculty and researchers at major federally funded research institutions and Title VI recipients must report foreign gifts exceeding minimal value and foreign contracts valued at $5,000 or more (or $0 or more for entities of concern) to their institutions annually (Sec. 3).
- Large private universities with foreign holdingsPrivate institutions with over $6 billion in assets and more than $250 million in investments in foreign countries or entities of concern must file annual reports detailing those investment holdings and capital gains (Sec. 4).
- Department of EducationMust establish and maintain searchable public databases of foreign gifts, contracts, and investments; process contract waiver requests; provide technical assistance; form an advisory user group; and investigate compliance violations (Sec. 2(a), Sec. 2(b), Sec. 4(g), Sec. 5(a)).
Who backs it
- Noncompliant higher education institutionsInstitutions compelled by court order to comply with foreign disclosure or contract rules must pay the U.S. Treasury the full costs of federal investigations and enforcement, as well as substantial civil monetary penalties (Sec. 5(a)).
Who opposes it
- Foreign countries and entities of concernProhibits higher education institutions from entering into contracts with them without receiving an annual waiver from the Secretary of Education, and mandates termination of existing contracts if waivers are not granted or if entities become newly designated (Sec. 2(b)).