S 1296 119th Congress Senate Education

DETERRENT Act

Introduced: April 28, 2026 Introduced by: Tillis, Thomas Republican · North Carolina See on congress.gov

Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps

Introduced

In committee

Reported out

Passed House

Passed Senate

To President

Became law

Apr 3, 2025

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Apr 3, 2025

Introduced in Senate

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Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions Act or the DETERRENT Act

This bill expands oversight and disclosure requirements related to foreign sources and institutions of higher education (IHEs).

Specifically, the bill requires an IHE to annually disclose to the Department of Education (ED) any year in which the IHE

receives a gift from a foreign country of concern (e.g., China or Russia) or foreign entity of concern of any dollar amount;
receives a gift or contract from a foreign source (other than a foreign country of concern or foreign entity of concern) that is valued at $50,000 or more, considered alone or in combination with all other gifts or contracts within a calendar year (current disclosure threshold is $250,000 or more), or which has an undetermined monetary value;
enters into a contract with a foreign country of concern or foreign entity of concern after receiving a waiver for such contract; or
is substantially controlled by a foreign source.

Additionally, the bill

prohibits IHEs from entering into contracts with a foreign country of concern or with a foreign entity of concern without obtaining a waiver, and
requires certain IHEs to disclose gifts or contracts between covered individuals (e.g., researchers) and foreign sources.

The bill requires ED to investigate possible violations of this bill and outlines the various penalties for each violation. Penalties may include losing eligibility for federal student financial aid.

What's happening now April 3, 2025

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Related & companion bills 1

Bill text 1 version

Introduced in Senate Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

Committees of jurisdiction 1

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
Senate

Lobbying activity 54

Registered lobbyists who named this bill in their disclosure filings. Source: federal Lobbying Disclosure Act filings.

ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN MEDICAL COLLEGES
for ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN MEDICAL COLLEGES · District of Columbia · 2nd Quarter (Apr 1 - June 30) 2026
YALE UNIVERSITY
for YALE UNIVERSITY · Connecticut · 2nd Quarter (Apr 1 - June 30) 2026
TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL U.S. (A PROJECT OF THE FUND FOR CONSTITUTIONAL GOVT)
for TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL U.S. (A PROJECT OF THE FUND FOR CONSTITUTIONAL GOVT) · District of Columbia · 2nd Quarter (Apr 1 - June 30) 2026
BOSTON UNIVERSITY
for BOSTON UNIVERSITY · District of Columbia · 2nd Quarter (Apr 1 - June 30) 2026
CHRISTIANS UNITED FOR ISRAEL ACTION FUND
for CHRISTIANS UNITED FOR ISRAEL ACTION FUND · District of Columbia · 2nd Quarter (Apr 1 - June 30) 2026
LEWIS-BURKE ASSOCIATES, LLC
for UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE · New Hampshire · 2nd Quarter (Apr 1 - June 30) 2026