Bill > HB0998

This bill modifies Tennessee's existing law regarding foreign gifts and contracts disclosure reports for public higher education institutions by adding the state's General Assembly to the list of entities that must receive these annual reports. Specifically, the bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-7-1804(f), by removing the current language that mentions only the department of safety and replacing it with language that includes the department of safety and the General Assembly. This means that public colleges and universities in Tennessee will now be required to submit their annual foreign gifts and contracts disclosure reports not just to the department of safety, but also to the state legislature. The change appears to be part of a broader effort to increase transparency and legislative oversight of foreign financial interactions with public higher education institutions. The bill will take effect immediately upon becoming law, as stated in Section 2, which emphasizes the public welfare aspect of the legislative change.