Education, Higher

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation included details about Confucius Institutes that were not fully supported by the official source material.

Higher Education Foreign Investment Transparency Act

This bill amends Tennessee's laws to require both public and private higher education institutions to disclose foreign gifts or contracts over certain thresholds for transparency purposes.

What This Bill Does

• Expands the current law that requires public universities to disclose gifts or contracts from foreign sources over $10,000 to include private universities as well.
• Requires private universities to report gifts or contracts from designated countries of particular concern if they are worth more than $50,000.
• Applies reporting requirements for multiple non-reportable gifts and contracts that together exceed the threshold value ($50,000) to both public and private institutions.
• Requires all higher education institutions to submit their annual foreign gifts and contracts disclosure report to the general assembly in addition to other entities.

Who It Names or Affects

• Public and private universities in Tennessee
• Foreign sources providing gifts or contracts to these universities

Terms To Know

Country of Particular Concern

Designation given by the U.S. Department of State for countries that have engaged in or tolerated severe violations of religious freedom.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not change the current prohibition on public institutions hosting Confucius Institutes.
• It is unclear how private universities will implement these new reporting requirements.

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

HOUSE BILL 998
By Stevens

SENATE BILL 1021
By White

SB1021
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.