Rep. Joe Sweeney

Chairman, Vice Chair, and members of the committee, For the record I am Representative Joe Sweeney from Salem, and I am here today to introduce HB 1776, relative to transparency and accountability for foreign funding at New Hampshire’s colleges and universities. At its core, this bill is about transparency. It is not about restricting speech, limiting academic freedom, or discouraging international students from coming to New Hampshire. It is about making sure that policymakers and the public understand when large sums of money are flowing into our higher education institutions from foreign sources, particularly foreign governments and entities that may not have our country’s interests at heart. Between 2021 and 2024, foreign donors contributed tens of billions of dollars to American colleges and universities. A significant share of that funding came from hostile or adversarial governments. Congress, multiple federal agencies, and bipartisan experts have warned that this funding can influence institutional behavior, suppress dissent, enable propaganda, and expose sensitive research and intellectual property. Federal law already requires disclosure of certain foreign funding. The problem is enforcement. Those requirements are widely ignored, inconsistently followed, and poorly monitored. Even former federal education officials have acknowledged that foreign donations to universities have effectively become a black hole. States have a responsibility to protect their own institutions, students, and taxpayers when federal oversight falls short. HB 1776 creates a straightforward, commonsense reporting requirement. Any post-secondary institution operating in New Hampshire, public or private, must disclose foreign funding or contractual relationships over $50,000. That disclosure is made quarterly, is publicly available, and is shared with the Governor and legislative leadership overseeing higher education. The bill defines foreign sources clearly and narrowly. It includes foreign governments, foreign corporations, foreign organizations, non-citizens, and their agents. Importantly, the bill explicitly excludes tuition and related fees paid by students. This legislation does not target international students and does not interfere with their ability to study here safely and freely. The enforcement mechanism is limited and focused. It applies only to willful failure to report. Institutions that follow the law have nothing to fear. Institutions that knowingly conceal large foreign funding streams should expect consequences, just as they would in any other regulated environment. This bill does not tell universities what funding they may or may not accept. It does not ban donations. It does not insert the state into curriculum decisions. It simply ensures transparency so lawmakers can make informed decisions when appropriating funds, authorizing research partnerships, or overseeing public institutions. New Hampshire has a strong tradition of openness, accountability, and independence. HB 1776 extends those values into an area where sunlight is long overdue. I respectfully ask the committee to support this bill, and I am happy to answer any questions.