Less Bureaucracy, Better International Foreign Gift Transparency Act

Key Points

• This bill would change which government agency keeps track of foreign money given to American colleges and universities. Currently, the Department of Education handles these reports, but this plan would move that responsibility to the Department of State.
• Under current law, schools must report any gifts or contracts from foreign countries if they total $250,000 or more in a single year. This bill keeps those rules but puts the State Department in charge of making sure schools follow them.
• Supporters believe the State Department is better equipped to handle these reports because it already deals with foreign governments and international relations every day.
• The plan requires the government to move existing staff and money to the State Department instead of hiring new people. The goal is to make sure the total number of federal employees does not go up because of this change.
• If the bill becomes law, the transfer of power would officially happen six months later. Any ongoing investigations or legal cases regarding foreign gifts would continue under the State Department's authority.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.