--- title: SB 181. Education; public schools and public postsecondary institutions shall not accept funding from or enter into contracts with foreign adversaries; provide collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sb181 cite_as: SB 181, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb181 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb181.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb181/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70374 date: 2026-01-12 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 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. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb180.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb182.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 307 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb181.md?full=1 bill_number: SB 181 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-02-13 last_action: Senate Recommitted sponsors: - Jason Anavitarte - Max Burns - Bill Cowsert - Steve Gooch - Billy Hickman - Carden Summers - Timothy Bearden - Randy Robertson text_version: Comm Sub has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB181/2025 upstream_id: 1970355 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - education policy - foreign adversaries - public schools - higher education funding - state contracting rules --- # SB 181. Education; public schools and public postsecondary institutions shall not accept funding from or enter into contracts with foreign adversaries; provide ## Text 25 LC 61 0185S The Senate Committee on Higher Education offered the following substitute to SB 181: A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Article 1 of Chapter 1 of Title 20 of the Official Cod e of Georgia Annotated,1 relating to general provisions relative to education, so as to provide that public schools, local2 education agencies, and public postsecondary institutions shall not accept funding from or3 enter into contracts with foreign adversaries; to provide defin itions; to provide for related4 matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:6 SECTION 1.7 Article 1 of Chapter 1 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Geor gia Annotated, relating to8 general provisions relative to education, is amended by adding a new Code section to read9 as follows:10 "20-1-12.11 (a) As used in this Code section, the term:12 (1) 'Foreign adversary' means a foreign government or foreign nongovernment person13 designated as a foreign adversary by the United States Secretary of Commerce pursuant14 to 15 C.F.R. Section 791.4 in effect on February 4, 2025.15 - 1 - 25 LC 61 0185S (2) 'Funding' means any gift, grant, donation, payment in exchange for services, capital16 investment, salary, wage, compensation, fee, or other monetary exchange.17 (3) 'Local education agency' shall have the same meaning as se t forth in Code18 Section 20-2-167.1.19 (4) 'Public postsecondary ins titution' means a school which is an institution of the20 University System of Georgia or a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia.21 (5) 'Public school' means any school under the control and man agement of a county,22 independent, or area board of education supported by public funds; any school subject to23 the provisions of Article 31 or 31A of Chapter 2 of this title supported by public funds;24 or any school under the control and management of the State Boa rd of Education or a25 department or agency thereof supported by public funds.26 (b) No public school, local education agency, or public postse condary institution shall,27 directly or indirectly, accept funding from or enter into a contract with a foreign adversary28 or individuals or entities working on behalf of such foreign adversary."29 SECTION 2.30 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.31 - 2 - ## 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. A Senate committee substitute for SB 181 would bar Georgia public schools, local school districts, and public colleges and universities from accepting funding from or signing contracts with governments and entities designated as foreign adversaries. ### Plain-language summary Currently, Georgia law does not specifically restrict public schools or colleges from taking money from or contracting with foreign governments or foreign-linked entities. This bill adds a new section to Georgia's education code (O.C.G.A. ยง 20-1-12) that prohibits public schools, local school districts, and public postsecondary institutions like University System of Georgia schools and Technical College System of Georgia schools from directly or indirectly accepting funding from, or entering contracts with, a 'foreign adversary.' The bill defines 'foreign adversary' by pointing to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce's list under federal regulations as of February 4, 2025. It also broadly defines 'funding' to include gifts, grants, donations, payments for services, investments, salaries, and other monetary exchanges. The ban also covers individuals or entities working on behalf of a foreign adversary. Any conflicting Georgia laws would be repealed. ### What it does - Bars public schools, local school districts, and public postsecondary institutions from directly or indirectly accepting funding from a designated foreign adversary. - Bars the same institutions from entering into contracts with a foreign adversary or with individuals or entities working on its behalf. - Defines 'foreign adversary' by reference to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce's designation under federal regulation (15 C.F.R. Section 791.4) as it existed on February 4, 2025. - Defines 'funding' broadly to include gifts, grants, donations, payments for services, capital investments, salaries, wages, and other monetary exchanges. - Applies the ban to K-12 public schools, local education agencies, University System of Georgia institutions, and Technical College System of Georgia schools. ### Who it affects Public K-12 schools and local school boards, the state Department of Education and State Board of Education, University System of Georgia institutions, Technical College System of Georgia schools, and any foreign governments or foreign-linked entities or individuals seeking funding arrangements or contracts with these Georgia institutions. ### Why it matters If enacted, Georgia public education institutions would have to screen funding sources and contracts against a federal list of foreign adversaries, potentially cutting off certain grants, donations, or partnership deals. This could affect research funding, sponsorships, or vendor relationships tied to entities on that federal list. ### Key provisions - Section 1 adds new Code Section 20-1-12 to Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, creating the funding and contract prohibition. - Subsection (a) defines key terms: 'foreign adversary,' 'funding,' 'local education agency,' 'public postsecondary institution,' and 'public school.' - Subsection (b) states the core prohibition: no covered institution may accept funding from or contract with a foreign adversary or its agents, directly or indirectly. - Section 2 repeals all conflicting Georgia laws. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-02-13) - Last action: Senate Recommitted (2026-01-12) - Sponsors: Jason Anavitarte, Max Burns, Bill Cowsert, Steve Gooch, Billy Hickman, Carden Summers, Timothy Bearden, Randy Robertson - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70374 > The history, votes, and amendments (307 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb181.md?full=1