The House Education and the Workforce Committee on Feb. 12 amended and approved the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions Act (DETERRENT, H.R. 1048) by a party-line 20-14 vote. Sponsored by Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-Wash.), the bill would expand college foreign gift reporting requirements under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act (PL 110-315).
Colleges are currently required to report foreign gifts and contracts valued at more than $250,000. The bill lowers the reporting threshold to $50,000, with some stricter $0 thresholds for “countries and entities of concern.” Last Congress, the House of Representatives voted 246-170 to pass this measure.
During the markup, Democrats offered an amendment in the nature of a substitute that would eliminate the $0 reporting threshold for institutions entering “countries and entities of concern.” However, the committee rejected the amendment by a partisan 14-20 vote.
In the 118th Congress, the AAMC joined a June 2024 letter with the higher education community opposing the DETERRENT Act’s inclusion as an amendment to the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (NDAA, PL 118-31) [refer to Washington Highlights, June 14, 2024]. The DETERRENT Act was ultimately not included in the NDAA.