HB 1379: Foreign Funding Transparency and Accountability Act; enact

Georgia law currently has a narrower reporting requirement limited to the University System. This bill, called the Foreign Funding Transparency and Accountability Act, replaces that with a broader rule covering every public educational institution in the state, including local school systems, technical colleges, and universities. Starting July 31, 2027, and every year after, these institutions must report to the Attorney General and the Department of Audits and Accounts any single foreign funding source tied to a 'foreign country of concern,' 'foreign entity of concern,' or 'foreign individual of concern' that totals $10,000 or more in a fiscal year. The reports must describe the funding's amount, type, source, any related contracts, and any influence the source has over curriculum, research, or personnel. Institutions with no reportable funding must still file a report saying so. Reports go on the Department of Audits and Accounts' website with sensitive information redacted. Institutions that fail to comply can lose state funding after a 30-day correction window. The law takes effect July 1, 2026, though the old University System reporting law is repealed effective January 1, 2027.

• Creates a new Georgia Code section (O.C.G.A. § 20-1-13) requiring all public educational institutions, not just University System schools, to report foreign funding of $10,000 or more from a single foreign source of concern.
• Defines 'foreign country of concern,' 'foreign entity of concern,' and 'foreign individual of concern' using specific federal designations tied to countries labeled adversaries, terrorist-linked, or religious-freedom violators.
• Requires annual reports starting July 31, 2027, detailing the funding's amount, type, source, related contracts, purpose, and any influence over curriculum, research, or personnel decisions.
• Requires institutions with no reportable funding to still file a report confirming that fact each year.
• Sets a penalty allowing the state to withhold $5,000 or three times the undisclosed funding amount, whichever is greater, from a noncompliant institution's state funding after a 30-day correction period.
• Repeals the prior, narrower foreign funding reporting law for the University System (O.C.G.A. § 20-3-84), effective January 1, 2027.

University System of Georgia institutions, Technical College System of Georgia units, and local public school systems and schools, along with their governing boards (the Board of Regents, the State Board of the Technical College System, and the State Board of Education), the Attorney General's office, and the Department of Audits and Accounts.

Georgia public schools, colleges, and technical schools would face new paperwork and public disclosure obligations whenever they take sizable funding from certain foreign sources, and institutions that don't comply risk losing part of their state funding, giving state officials more visibility into and leverage over foreign financial ties to Georgia education.

• Section 1 gives the Act its short title, the Foreign Funding Transparency and Accountability Act.
• Section 2 adds O.C.G.A. § 20-1-13, defining key terms like 'foreign country of concern' by reference to specific federal designations as they existed on January 1, 2026.
• Section 2 sets a $10,000 reporting threshold per foreign source of concern per fiscal year and lists seven required elements of each report, including contracts and influence over curriculum or personnel.
• Section 2 exempts tuition payments from individuals or families from the reporting requirement.
• Section 2 creates an enforcement process: Attorney General notice, a 30-day cure period, then authority for the governing board to withhold state funding of at least $5,000 or three times the undisclosed amount.
• Section 3 repeals the prior, narrower foreign funding reporting law that applied only to the University System (O.C.G.A. § 20-3-84).
• Section 4 sets the general effective date as July 1, 2026, but delays the repeal of the old law until January 1, 2027.

1. 2026-05-12Effective Date 2026-07-01
2. 2026-05-12Act 632
3. 2026-05-12House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-03-18Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-03-18Senate Third Read (Senate)
7. 2026-03-16Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
8. 2026-03-12Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)

• Houston Gaines (R, HD-120)Primary sponsor
• Esther Panitch (D, HD-051)
• John Carson (R, HD-046)
• Brent Cox (R, HD-028)
• Tim Fleming (R, HD-114)
• Max Burns (R, SD-023)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 4, 2026

   139 yea, 16 nay (5 not voting, 17 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #648

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 18, 2026

   31 yea, 20 nay (0 not voting, 3 absent)

   Passage: Senate Vote #737

• foreign funding disclosure
• education transparency
• University System of Georgia
• public school reporting requirements
• national security