Partnering with foreign institutions could become tougher for Michigan schools under legislation that moved out of a state House committee Wednesday.
One bill in the package would create more reporting and conditions for colleges and universities accepting grants and other funding from foreign sources. The proposal would also lower the threshold for reporting that funding from $100,000 in a given year to any gift worth at least $50,000.
It would also designate certain countries as a “foreign country of concern.”
Bill sponsor Rep. Will Bruck (R-Erie) said the goal is limiting security risks on campus.
“We're trying to create transparency, we are trying to create accountability, and, in essence, we're creating risk mitigation,” Bruck said.
The bill would ban public schools and higher education institutions from taking any grant funding from the countries of concern or entities “under significant control” of those places if it involves allowing those entities a say in course curriculum. In some cases, an agreement would need approval from the federal government.
Another bill would put similar requirements on public schools.
Bruck said he understands it could lead to more work for higher ed institutions.
“It's probably going to interfere with the amount of money and grants and gifts that universities get. But however, within the bill, we're providing the means to do that. It just comes with accountability and transparency,” Bruck said.
Opponents to the legislation, however, aren’t buying that it would lead to more openness on campus.
ACLU of Michigan Legislative Director Kyle Zawacki said the bills would set a dangerous precedent.
“These bills risk censoring legitimate academic and cultural exchanges based on speculative or politically motivated concerns,” Zawacki said.
Zawacki raised issues with undefined terms in the bills, like “detrimental” in a clause about stopping “an agenda that is detrimental to the safety and security of the United States.”
The countries of concern referenced in the bills include China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, and Syria. Supporters of the legislation say they’re deferring to the U.S. State Department and that concerns about foreign influence have been bipartisan.
But Henry Duong, with the group Rising Voices, said the bills echo racist laws of the past that stopped Asian Americans from owning land.
“They reinforce the false narrative that Asian Americans are perpetual foreigners and have no allegiance to the U.S., further marginalizing communities in academia, STEM, business, healthcare, and public service,” Duong said.
Beyond that, Duong pointed out there might not be mechanisms available to require the federal government to vet agreements from Michigan schools.
It’s up to the Michigan House of Representatives to decide what happens to the bills next.
