AUSTIN, Texas (KETK) – State Rep. Cole Hefner R-Mount Pleasant has introduced a bill that would require public higher education institutions to disclose financial ties to China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and Syria.

According to Hefner, HB 2760 would increase financial transparency in universities and state agencies in order to expose active corruption by states that, he claims, are trying to destroy the American way of life.

“We must act immediately to secure our universities and state agencies from undue influence
originating from foreign countries that are determined to undermine and destroy our American
way of life. The Chinese Communist Party and other foreign dictatorial regimes must not be
allowed to continue to infiltrate our universities,” Hefner said. “HB 2760 is a significant step towards transparency and commonsense restrictions on foreign influence in Texas. I look forward to working with my colleagues to root out and expose existing corruption and to prevent further
damage to our state institutions.”

Specifically the bill would require “disclosure of certain gifts, grants, contracts and financial interests received from a foreign source by certain state agencies, public institutions of higher education and state contractor,” according to the proposed text of the bill.

Beyond requiring addtional financial disclosures, university employees will have their work-related travel activities while aboard kept on record and submitted yearly to the institution’s governing board.