---
title: HB 1379. Foreign Funding Transparency and Accountability Act; enact
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1379
cite_as: HB 1379, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1379
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1379.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1379/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73368
date: 2026-05-12
status: passed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 980
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1379.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1379
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-12
last_action: Effective Date 2026-07-01
sponsors:
- Houston Gaines
- Esther Panitch
- John Carson
- Brent Cox
- Tim Fleming
- Max Burns
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1379/2025
upstream_id: 2119556
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- foreign funding disclosure
- education transparency
- University System of Georgia
- public school reporting requirements
- national security
---
# HB 1379. Foreign Funding Transparency and Accountability Act; enact
## Text
House Bill 1379 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By: Representatives Gaines of the 120th, Panitch of the 51st, Carson of the 46th, Cox of the
28th, and Fleming of the 114th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to education, so as
to require annual reports from institutions of the University System of Georgia, units of the
Technical College System of Georgia, and local school systems and other public schools
regarding funding received from certain foreign sources; to provide requirements for such
reports; to provide for such reports to be made publicly available; to provide for procedures
and penalties relating to noncompliance; to provide legislative findings; to provide for
definitions; to provide for related matters; to provide for a short title; to provide for effective
dates; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Foreign Funding Transparency and
Accountability Act."
SECTION 2.
Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to education, is amended in
Article 1 of Chapter 1, relating to general provisions relative to education, by adding a new
Code section to read as follows:
"20-1-13.
(a) The General Assembly finds that there is a compelling state interest in protecting
academic independence, research security, and intellectual property from foreign influence
and that a rigorous reporting requirement of funding from certain foreign sources is
necessary to protect such interest.
(b) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Foreign country of concern' means:
(A) A country whose government is designated as a foreign adversary by the United
States Secretary of Commerce pursuant to 15 C.F.R. Section 791.4, as such regulation
existed on January 1, 2026;
(B) A country that has been designated as a country of particular concern by the
President of the United States or the United States Secretary of State pursuant to the
federal International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, as such designations existed on
January 1, 2026;
(C) A country designated as a special watch list country by the President of the United
States or the United States Secretary of State pursuant to the federal Frank R. Wolf
International Religious Freedom Act of 2016, as such designations existed on January
1, 2026; and
(D) A country whose form of government is any form of monarchy, which has a
sovereign wealth fund with a board of directors that includes the monarch or a member
of his or her family, and which shares a border with a country specified in subparagraph
(A), (B), or (C) of this paragraph.
(2) 'Foreign entity of concern' means:
(A) An organization, institution of higher education, association, corporation, or other
entity organized under the laws of, or having its principal place of business in, a foreign
country of concern or a subsidiary of any such entity;
(B) An organization designated by the United States Secretary of State as a foreign
terrorist organization pursuant to 8 U.S.C. Section 1189 on or before January 1, 2026;
(C) An organization designated as an entity of particular concern by the United States
Secretary of State pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 on or
before January 1, 2026; and
(D) An organization, corporation, association, foundation, or other entity which is a
member or subsidiary of any organization, corporation, association, foundation, or
other entity that has its principal place of business in a foreign country of concern or is
controlled directly or indirectly by an official of a foreign country of concern.
(3) 'Foreign individual of concern' means any official of a foreign country of concern or
any individual who is domiciled in a foreign country of concern and who is not a citizen
or lawful permanent resident of the United States, or an individual who has been
convicted of violating 18 U.S.C. Section 2339A or 18 U.S.C. Section 2339B.
(4) 'Foreign source of concern' means a foreign country of concern, a foreign entity of
concern, or a foreign individual of concern.
(5) 'Funding' means any gift, grant, donation, payment in exchange for services, capital
investment, salary, wage, compensation, fee, or other monetary exchange.
(6) 'Governing authority' means the State Board of Education for a local school system
or other public school, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia for an
institution of the University System of Georgia, or the State Board of the Technical
College System of Georgia for a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia.
(7) 'Public educational institution' means an institution of the University System of
Georgia, a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, and a local school system
or other public school.
(8) 'Reportable funding' means funding received during a fiscal year from a single
foreign source of concern or an individual or entity directly or indirectly controlled by,
acting on behalf of, or working in conjunction with such foreign source of concern
totaling $10,000.00 or more.
(9) 'Sovereign wealth fund' shall have the same meaning as set forth in Code Section
7-10-1.
(c) Beginning July 31, 2027, and annually thereafter, except as provided in subsection (d)
of this Code section, each public educational institution shall provide to the Attorney
General and the Department of Audits and Accounts a report detailing reportable funding
received during the preceding fiscal year by such public educational institution or an
organization controlled directly or indirectly by or acting on behalf of such institution.
Such report shall include:
(1) The amount of funding received;
(2) The type of funding, whether a gift, grant, donation, payment in exchange for
services, capital investment, salary, wage, compensation, fee, or other monetary
exchange;
(3) A detailed description of the source providing the funding, including the name and
address of such source and the owner of such source, if applicable;
(4) A copy of any contract, agreement, or memorandum of understanding associated with
the funding;
(5) Details regarding the purpose of the funding and indicating whether the funding was
a single payment or part of multiple payments;
(6) Details regarding any influence or control such source has over the curriculum,
research, academic affairs, or personnel decisions of such institution; and
(7) Steps taken to protect academic freedom, research integrity, and cybersecurity.
(d) Beginning July 31, 2027, and annually thereafter, each public educational institution
that has not received reportable funding during the preceding fiscal year shall provide a
report to the Attorney General and the Department of Audits and Accounts stating that such
institution has not received reportable funding during the preceding fiscal year.
(e) The reports required by this Code section shall be made available on the website of the
Department of Audits and Accounts; provided, however, that personally identifiable
information, security information, and other information protected from disclosure by state
or federal law shall be redacted before such reports are made available. Such reports shall
also be provided to the chairpersons of the House Committee on Education, the House
Committee on Higher Education, the Senate Education and Youth Committee, and the
Senate Higher Education Committee.
(f) This Code section shall not require reporting of funding provided by an individual or
a family as payment for tuition or related fees for a student or students affiliated with or
attending a program, class, or course of study at an institution of the University System of
Georgia or a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia.
(g) If a public educational institution fails to provide a report required by this Code section
or fails to disclose reportable funding in a report provided pursuant to this Code section,
the Attorney General shall notify the public educational institution of such failure and
provide the public educational institution with an opportunity to correct the failure. If a
public educational institution fails to submit a report or amend a report within 30 days of
receipt of such notice, the Attorney General shall notify the applicable governing authority
and such governing authority shall be authorized to withhold a portion of the state funding
allotted for the applicable public educational institution in an amount of $5,000.00 or three
times the amount of reportable funding the public educational institution failed to disclose,
whichever is greater."
SECTION 3.
Said title is further amended in Part 2 of Article 2 of Chapter 3, relating to university system,
by repealing and reserving Code Section 20-3-84, relating to reporting on funding received
by university system from any foreign country, entity, or individual of concern.
SECTION 4.
(a) This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2026, except as otherwise provided in
subsection (b) of this section.
(b) Section 3 of this Act shall become effective on January 1, 2027.
SECTION 5.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
House Bill 1379 would require Georgia public schools, technical colleges, and University System institutions to annually report funding of $10,000 or more from certain foreign governments, entities, or individuals tied to countries the U.S. treats as adversarial.
### Plain-language summary
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.
### What it does
- 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.
### Who it affects
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.
### Why it matters
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.
### Key provisions
- 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.
## Status
- Status: Passed (2026-05-12)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-07-01 (2026-05-12)
- Sponsors: Houston Gaines, Esther Panitch, John Carson, Brent Cox, Tim Fleming, Max Burns
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73368
> The history, votes, and amendments (980 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1379.md?full=1