INSTRUCT Act of 2025
INSTRUCT Act of 2025
Plain Language Summary
# INSTRUCT Act of 2025 - Plain Language Summary **What the bill would do:** The INSTRUCT Act would require the Department of Education to share reports about foreign gifts and contracts with colleges and universities with 11 other federal agencies, including the FBI, State Department, and Department of Homeland Security. Currently, colleges must report foreign gifts or contracts worth $250,000 or more to the Education Department, but that information isn't automatically shared with other agencies. This bill would require the Education Department to send these reports to the other agencies within 30 days of receiving them, and would also require them to share all previously received reports within 90 days of the bill becoming law. **Who it affects:** This primarily affects colleges and universities that receive foreign gifts or contracts, as well as the federal agencies that would receive this information.
The bill could also impact foreign entities and governments that engage in academic partnerships with U.S. institutions. **Current status:** The bill was introduced by Rep. Mark Messmer (R-IN) and is currently in committee, meaning it has not yet been debated or voted on by the full House of Representatives.
CRS Official Summary
Instructing Noteworthy Steps toward Transparency to Rout and Undo Calamitous Transactions Act of 2025 or the INSTRUCT Act of 2025This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to share foreign gift and contract reports from institutions of higher education (IHEs) with specified federal agencies.Under current law, an IHE must disclose to ED a gift from or contract with a foreign source that is valued at $250,000 or more, considered alone or in combination with all other gifts from or contracts with that foreign source. This bill requires ED, within 30 days of receiving a disclosure report from an IHE, to transmit an unredacted copy of the report to 11 listed agencies (e.g., the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of State, and the Department of Homeland Security).The bill also requires ED, within 90 days of the bill's enactment, to transmit additional information to these federal agencies. Specifically, ED must transmit (1) any disclosure report received by ED prior to the bill's enactment; and (2) any report, document, or other record generated by ED in the course of investigating an IHE's compliance with disclosure requirements (and such investigation was initiated prior to the bill's enactment). The Government Accountability Office must study and report on ways to improve intergovernmental agency coordination for implementing and enforcing disclosure reporting requirements.
Latest Action
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.