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SB653: Bill Text
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2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-5137/1
ARG:cdc&skw
2025 SENATE BILL 653
November 14, 2025 - Introduced by Senators
Tomczyk
,
Nass
,
Jacque
and
Testin
, cosponsored by Representatives
Dallman
,
Brill
,
Behnke
,
Green
,
Melotik
,
Wichgers
,
Knodl
,
Moses
,
Dittrich
,
Mursau
,
Goeben
,
Kurtz
,
Murphy
,
Callahan
and
O'Connor
. Referred to Committee on Licensing, Regulatory Reform, State and Federal Affairs.
SB653,1,3
1
An Act
to create
36.46 of the statutes;
relating to:
imposing certain
2
prohibitions on foreign influence at University of Wisconsin System
3
institutions.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill prohibits, with an exception, University of Wisconsin System institutions from participating in a collaboration agreement, academic partnership, or research partnership with a college or university based in China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, or Qatar or with the government or regime of any of these countries (foreign adversary) or certain persons or entities associated with these countries (foreign principals). A “collaboration agreement” is a written statement of mutual interest in academic or research collaboration. An “academic partnership” is a faculty or student exchange program, study abroad program, articulation program, recruiting program, or dual degree program. A “research partnership” is an agreement, memorandum of understanding, joint project, consortium, or other collaborative arrangement for the purpose of jointly conducting, funding, or facilitating scientific, technological, engineering, medical, social science, or other scholarly research.
This bill also prohibits, without exception, UW System institutions from accepting any grant from a college or university based in any of these countries or from a foreign adversary or foreign principal.
The bill provides an exception allowing a UW System institution, upon approval by the Board of Regents of the UW System, to enter into a collaboration agreement, academic partnership, or research partnership with a college or university based in any of these countries or with a foreign adversary or foreign principal if 1) the Board of Regents determines that the collaboration agreement, academic partnership, or research partnership is valuable to students and to the UW System institution and is not detrimental to the safety or security of the United States or its residents, and 2) the Board of Regents first requests and receives a national security risk assessment of the proposed collaboration agreement, academic partnership, or research partnership by a federal law enforcement agency. Also, the Board of Regents may not approve such an agreement or partnership if the agreement or partnership would constrain the institution’s freedom of contract or allow the institution’s curriculum or values to be directed or controlled by a foreign adversary or foreign principal. However, in the 2025-27 fiscal biennium, the exception does not apply to, and a UW System institution may not enter into such an agreement or partnership with, Russia. In addition, a UW System institution or researcher may not approve, continue, or enter into a collaboration agreement, academic partnership, or research partnership with a college or university based in any of these countries or with a foreign adversary or foreign principal if any project under the agreement or partnership is funded in full or in part by the U.S. Department of Defense.
The bill also requires the Board of Regents to adopt a policy prohibiting each institution from procuring or using educational software from a prohibited business entity. A “prohibited business entity" is defined to include a company domiciled, incorporated, or headquartered in, or having its principal place of business in, a country controlled by a foreign adversary, as well as a Chinese-controlled company.
The bill also prohibits UW System institutions, and their employees and representatives, from soliciting or accepting gifts in an official capacity, including favors and promises of future employment, from a college or university based in any of these countries or from a foreign adversary or foreign principal. UW System institutions also may not accept anything of value conditioned upon participation in a program to promote the language or culture of any of these countries.
The bill requires the Board of Regents to submit an annual report to the governor and the legislature relating to collaboration agreements, academic partnerships, and research partnerships of UW System institutions, including detailed information on each request by the Board of Regents for a national security risk assessment.
Under the bill, if a UW System institution violates any provision of the bill, the Joint Committee on Finance may determine the monetary value to the UW System institution of a violating collaboration agreement, academic partnership, or research partnership or otherwise resulting from the violation. An amount that is twice the monetary value determined by JCF is published in the Wisconsin Administrative Register and, upon publication, the secretary of administration must transfer the published amount from the UW System’s general program operations appropriation to the JCF supplemental appropriation.
For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
SB653,1
1
Section
1
.
36.46 of the statutes is created to read:
SB653,2,3
2
36.46
Prohibitions on foreign influence.
(1)
Definitions.
In this
3
section:
SB653,2,6
4
(a) “Academic partnership” means a faculty or student exchange program,
5
study abroad program, articulation program, recruiting program, or dual degree
6
program.
SB653,2,8
7
(b) “Collaboration agreement” means a written statement of mutual interest
8
in academic or research collaboration.
SB653,2,11
9
(c) “Foreign adversary” means a foreign government or foreign non-
10
government person listed as a foreign adversary in
15 CFR 791.4 (a)
and also
11
includes the State of Qatar.
SB653,2,12
12
(d) “Foreign principal” means any of the following:
SB653,2,13
13
1. An official of a foreign adversary.
SB653,2,15
14
2. A political party or member of a political party associated with a foreign
15
adversary.
SB653,2,18
16
3. An entity or organization organized under the laws of, or having its
17
principal place of business in, a country controlled by a foreign adversary, including
18
a subsidiary of such an entity or organization.
SB653,3,2
19
4. An individual who is domiciled in a country controlled by a foreign
1
adversary and who is not a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United
2
States.
SB653,3,5
3
(e) “Political party” means an organization or association of individuals whose
4
aim or purpose is, or that is engaged in any activity devoted in whole or in part to,
5
any of the following:
SB653,3,7
6
1. The establishment, administration, control, or acquisition of
7
administration or control of a foreign adversary.
SB653,3,9
8
2. The furtherance or influencing of the political or public interest, policies, or
9
relations of a foreign adversary.
SB653,3,12
10
(f) “Prohibited business entity” means any company, other than a U.S. person,
11
as defined in
15 CFR 772.1
, or a U.S. subsidiary, as defined in
15 CFR 772.1
, to
12
which any of the following applies:
SB653,3,14
13
1. The company is primarily domiciled, incorporated, or headquartered in, or
14
listed on a securities exchange in, a country controlled by a foreign adversary.
SB653,3,16
15
2. The company has its principal place of business in a country controlled by a
16
foreign adversary.
SB653,3,22
17
3. The company is controlled by, or a majority of the ownership interest in the
18
company is held by an entity that is controlled by, the government of the People’s
19
Republic of China, the Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese military, or any
20
instrumentality of the Chinese government, including the State-owned Assets
21
Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council of the National
22
Social Security Fund.
SB653,3,23
23
4. The company is a subsidiary of a company described in subds. 1. to 3.
SB653,4,6
24
(g) “Research partnership” means a formal or informal agreement, contract,
1
memorandum of understanding, joint project, consortium, or other collaborative
2
arrangement with any college or university, including its research centers and
3
laboratories, based in a country controlled by a foreign adversary, or with any
4
foreign adversary or foreign principal, for the purpose of jointly conducting,
5
funding, or facilitating scientific, technological, engineering, medical, social science,
6
or other scholarly research.
SB653,4,9
7
(2)
Foreign grants, collaboration agreements, academic partnerships,
8
research partnerships, or educational software.
(a) Neither the board nor
9
an institution may do any of the following:
SB653,4,11
10
1. Accept any grant from a college or university based in a country controlled
11
by a foreign adversary, or from a foreign adversary or foreign principal.
SB653,4,14
12
2. Except as provided in par. (b), participate in any collaboration agreement
13
with a college or university based in a country controlled by a foreign adversary, or
14
with a foreign adversary or foreign principal.
SB653,4,18
15
3. Except as provided in par. (b), participate in any academic partnership or
16
research partnership with a college or university, or an academic or other research
17
partner, based in a country controlled by a foreign adversary, or with a foreign
18
adversary or foreign principal.
SB653,5,2
19
(b) 1. Subject to subds. 2. to 4., upon approval by the board, an institution may
20
enter into a collaboration agreement, academic partnership, or research
21
partnership with a college or university based in a country controlled by a foreign
22
adversary, or with a foreign adversary or foreign principal, if the board determines
23
the collaboration agreement, academic partnership, or research partnership is
1
valuable to students and to the institution and is not detrimental to the safety or
2
security of the United States or its residents.
SB653,5,7
3
2. The board may not approve a collaboration agreement, academic
4
partnership, or research partnership under subd. 1. if the collaboration agreement,
5
academic partnership, or research partnership would constrain the institution’s
6
freedom of contract or allow the institution’s curriculum or values to be directed or
7
controlled by a foreign adversary or foreign principal.
SB653,5,12
8
3. The board may not approve a collaboration agreement, academic
9
partnership, or research partnership under subd. 1. until the board requests and
10
receives a national security risk assessment of the proposed collaboration
11
agreement, academic partnership, or research partnership by a federal law
12
enforcement agency.
SB653,5,15
13
4. In the 2025-27 fiscal biennium, neither the board nor an institution may
14
enter into any collaboration agreement or academic partnership with the Russian
15
Federation.
SB653,5,22
16
(c) Neither the board nor an institution, nor a researcher employed by the
17
system, may approve, continue, or enter into any collaboration agreement,
18
academic partnership, or research partnership with a college or university based in
19
a country controlled by a foreign adversary, or with a foreign adversary or foreign
20
principal, if any project under the collaboration agreement, academic partnership,
21
or research partnership is funded in full or in part by the U.S. department of
22
defense or any successor organization to the U.S. department of defense.
SB653,5,24
23
(d) The board shall adopt a policy prohibiting each institution from procuring
24
or using educational software from a prohibited business entity.
SB653,6,6
1
(3)
Foreign gifts and cultural exchange payments.
(a) Neither the
2
board nor an institution, nor any employee or representative of the system, may
3
solicit or accept any gift in an official capacity, including any physical object, loan,
4
reward, promise of future employment, favor, or service, from a college or university
5
based in a country controlled by a foreign adversary or from a foreign adversary or
6
foreign principal.
SB653,6,9
7
(b) Neither the board nor an institution may accept anything of value
8
conditioned upon participation in a program or other endeavor to promote the
9
language or culture of a country controlled by a foreign adversary.
SB653,6,16
10
(4)
Annual report.
(a) No later than December 1, 2026, and by December 1
11
of each year thereafter, the board shall submit a report to the governor and the chief
12
clerk of each house of the legislature, for distribution to the legislature under s.
13
13.172 (2), relating to collaboration agreements, academic partnerships, and
14
research partnerships of the board or any institution with colleges and universities
15
based in a country controlled by a foreign adversary or with a foreign adversary or
16
foreign principal.
SB653,6,19
17
(b) The report under par. (a) shall include, at a minimum, detailed
18
information, for the immediately preceding fiscal year, with respect to all of the
19
following:
SB653,6,22
20
1. Each collaboration agreement, academic partnership, or research
21
partnership involving an institution and any college or university based in a
22
country controlled by a foreign adversary or a foreign adversary or foreign principal.
SB653,6,24
23
2. Each office, campus, or other physical location used or maintained by an
24
institution in a country controlled by a foreign adversary.
SB653,7,2
1
3. The date on which any collaboration agreement, academic partnership, or
2
research partnership reported under subd. 1. is expected to terminate.
SB653,7,5
3
4. Each collaboration agreement, academic partnership, or research
4
partnership reported under subd. 1. for which a requirement under sub. (2) (b) was
5
not satisfied.
SB653,7,8
6
5. Each request by the board for a national security risk assessment as
7
provided in sub. (2) (b) 3. and, for each, the determination made by the federal law
8
enforcement agency in response to the request.
SB653,7,11
9
6. Any other program or contract, not reported under subd. 1., between the
10
board or an institution and any college or university based in a country controlled
11
by a foreign adversary or a foreign adversary or foreign principal.
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