On Tuesday, the Michigan House of Representatives passed a legislative plan spearheaded by State Representative Will Bruck (R-Erie) that would address adversarial foreign influence in Michigan. Bruck’s bill in the package would create the Foreign Influence of State Institutions of Higher Education Act, requiring colleges and universities to disclose any donations received from foreign countries of concern or any entities under their government’s control.

“In the last four years, universities within the U.S. have received over $29 billion from foreign countries, and much of this comes from foreign governments that are openly hostile to the U.S. like the Chinese Communist Party,” Bruck said. “Even more worrisome is that some of these gifts come with strings attached. My bill will ensure destructive foreign influence within our state’s higher education institutions is exposed and put to an end.”

Hostile foreign countries, most notably China, have in recent years made more efforts to increase their surveillance and influence on state and local public entities, including public universities. State governments throughout the nation have adopted policies that effectively counter the sub-national threats of Chinese influence.

Bruck’s plan includes several legislative proposals that would:

• Prevent foreign entities of concern from collecting sensitive information by blocking prohibited apps on government devices.
• Ensure public schools, colleges, and universities do not accept grants conditioned upon an anti-American agenda from foreign countries of concern.
• Prohibit public bodies from entering into constraining agreements with foreign countries of concern.
• Ensure public economic incentives are not awarded to foreign entities of concern.
• Protect the personal health information of Michigan residents by ensuring health care record technology is physically maintained in the U.S. or Canada.
• Prevent entities of concern from purchasing farmland or property near military bases and other critical infrastructure.

“This bill package will curb the attempts by China or any one of our other foreign adversaries to undermine our homeland security and subject our populace to their propaganda,” Bruck said. “My hope is that leadership in the Senate sees the critical need for us to respond to threats of hostile foreign entities and takes up our bills soon. China’s efforts to surveil our critical infrastructure, strong-arm our schools and local governments to their will, and increase their presence in Michigan are very well-documented. This is a real concern that merits bipartisan attention.”