Bill > HB5010

This bill, titled the "Foreign Adversary Higher Education Funding Prohibition Act," aims to prevent West Virginia's institutions of higher education and their affiliated organizations from accepting gifts, grants, contracts, research sponsorships, partnerships, or any other form of funding from foreign adversaries, which are defined to include countries like the People's Republic of China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Qatar, as well as any entities acting on their behalf. The bill establishes that these institutions are crucial for research and national competitiveness, and that certain foreign governments have used partnerships and funding to exert ideological influence or conduct intelligence gathering within American universities, citing examples like the Confucius Institutes. To protect academic independence and research security, the bill mandates that any prohibited funds received must be returned to the state, and violations can result in financial penalties, ineligibility for state research grants, and potential termination for institutional personnel involved in concealing such funding. Furthermore, it requires institutions to continue reporting foreign gifts and contracts over certain thresholds to the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC), which will maintain a public database of this information, and specifically prohibits the operation of Confucius Institutes and similar entities funded by China or Qatar. The bill also grants the Governor the authority to designate additional foreign adversaries, with notice to the Legislature and the public, and sets July 1, 2026, as its effective date for all new funding relationships.

Education

http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=5010&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill