(The Center Square) – Republicans in the Michigan state House recently proposed legislation that would prohibit state institutions of higher education from entering into agreements with certain foreign nations.
House Bill 4239, the Foreign Influence of State Institutions of Higher Education Act, details restrictions on grants, gifts, and contracts that Michigan’s colleges and universities can make with seven different foreign “countries of concern.”
Those countries include China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela and Syria.
“Our foreign adversaries, especially the Chinese Communist Party, have ramped up their efforts to increase their influence and undermine patriotic values in our country,” said state Rep. Will Bruck, R-Erie, who introduced the legislation. “We need to put an end to that wherever it is happening in Michigan. It is time for us to remove the welcome mat that hostile foreign actors have exploited for so long to further their intrusion in our state.”
Bruck, who also chairs the state House Oversight Subcommittee on Homeland Security and Foreign Influence, was joined by 14 other Republicans in sponsoring the legislation.
The bill would specifically ban higher education grants and agreements that places constraints upon a school’s freedom to contract, decide on curriculum content, or promotes an agenda that is “detrimental to the safety and security of the United States or its residents.”
It would also require the institutions disclose the details of all gifts or grants received from a foreign source to their governing boards, as well as work with a federal agency to review any “cultural exchange agreements.”
This comes as lawmakers have been increasingly concerned about foreign influence and national security, both generally and specifically in institutions of higher education.
Recently, the University of Michigan announced it would end its Joint Institute with Chinese Shanghai Jiao Tong University. A partnership in place since 2006, the school was the third American university to end a joint institute partnership with a Chinese university.
“International academic partnerships have deeply enriched our academic offerings and strengthened the global education of our students, and we will continue to pursue partnerships around the world as part of our academic mission,” University of Michigan President Santa J. Ono said at the time of the closure. “As we do so, we must also prioritize our commitment to national security.”
While the University of Michigan already took steps to end that partnership, other Michigan schools like Eastern Michigan University and University of Detroit Mercy still have STEM focused joint institutes with Chinese universities.
Concerns are growing beyond Michigan though, with other state legislatures also making similar moves. In February, a bill was filed in Texas that would prevent foreign adversaries from purchasing land in Texas. Nationally, Republican Representatives introduced a bill just last week that would ban Chinese nationals from receiving student visas.
House Bill 4239 is currently assigned to the Committee on Government Operations in the state House. No date has been set for its consideration.
