Georgia CommonsHB 1379: Foreign Funding Transparency and Accountability Act; enact
Enrolled version, the latest LegiScan holds · Last action May 12, 2026 · Passed
The text as LegiScan holds it, read from the PDF the legislature publishes with its margin line numbers, running heads, and page footers removed. Line breaks are joined into paragraphs here; no word is changed.
Underlined words are what the bill adds to current law and struck-through words are what it removes, as the printed bill shows them.
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.