Education, Higher

Plain English Breakdown

The official summary and text do not provide details on consequences for non-compliance with reporting requirements.

Higher Education Foreign Investment Transparency Act

This bill changes rules for how both public and private higher education institutions in Tennessee must handle gifts and contracts from foreign sources.

What This Bill Does

• Makes it against the law for any college or university, whether public or private, to accept a gift or contract from a foreign source if they think it might harm their research, teaching, operations, intellectual property rights, confidential information, or safety.
• Requires both public and private colleges and universities to report gifts and contracts from certain foreign countries that are worth more than $50,000. These reports must be sent to the state controller and published on a website.
• Adds the General Assembly of Tennessee as an entity that needs to receive annual reports about foreign gifts and contracts given to public colleges and universities.

Who It Names or Affects

• All higher education institutions in Tennessee, both public and private.
• Foreign sources giving gifts or making contracts with these institutions.
• The General Assembly of Tennessee.

Terms To Know

Confucius Institute

A non-profit educational organization that promotes Chinese language and culture in other countries, often run by the Chinese government.

General Assembly

The state legislature of Tennessee, made up of two parts: the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Limits and Unknowns

• Only applies to foreign gifts or contracts from countries designated by the U.S. Department of State as a 'country of particular concern'.
• Does not specify what happens if an institution fails to follow these new rules.
• The bill does not change the rule that only public institutions cannot host Confucius Institutes.

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 16,
2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1021, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 r
ewrites this bill to make various changes to the Transparency in Foreign Investment Act.

Generally, present law requires public institutions of higher education to make certain disclosures concerning gifts from, and contracts entered with, a foreign source when the value of the gift or contract exceeds $10,000. Present law also prohibits pu
blic institutions of higher education from
accept
ing
a gift from a foreign source or enter
ing
into a contract with a foreign source
if the institution believes that
doing so would threaten:

(1) The integrity of the institution's research, instruction, or operations;

(2) The institution's intellectual property rights;

(3) The protection of confidential information; or

(4) The safety and security of the institution, the institution's personnel and students, this state, or the United States.

This amendment makes the prohibition against accepting a gift from, or contracting with, a foreign source when an institution believes that doing so would create a threat described in (1)-(4) applicable to both public and private institutions of higher ed
ucation.

This amendment applies the present law disclosure requirements for foreign gifts and contracts to private institutions of higher education, except that disclosure will only be required for

gift
s
from
, or contracts with,
a foreign source designated by the United States department of state as a country of particular concern that
are valued at more than
$50,000
.

The present law requirements for public institutions of higher education to report multiple otherwise non-reportable gifts and contracts when the aggregate value exceeds the $10,000 threshold will apply to private institutions of higher education when th
e aggregate value exceeds $50,000.

The present law requirement that public institutions of higher education submit an annual
foreign gifts and contracts disclosure report
to the controller and the department of safety, and that the reports be published on the comptroller's website, will apply to private institutions of higher education.

The present law prohibition against hosting a Confucius Institute will remain limited to public institutions of higher education.

Current Bill Text

SENATE BILL 1021
By White

HOUSE BILL 998
By Stevens

HB0998
002936
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
Chapter 14; Title 49, Chapter 7; Title 49, Chapter
8 and Title 49, Chapter 9, relative to higher
education.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-7-1804(f), is amended by deleting
"and the department of safety" and substituting ", the department of safety, and the general
assembly".
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.