The bill, introduced Tuesday by Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), would establish an Education Department-led task force that would keep a list of "sensitive" research projects. | John Shinkle/POLITICO Education Republicans push bill to prevent spying on 'sensitive' university research

House Republicans are rolling out legislation that would force the Education Department to monitor "sensitive" research projects at universities to guard against spying — the latest in growing congressional scrutiny of foreign involvement in the American educational system.

The so-called Protect Our Universities Act of 2019, introduced Tuesday by Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), would establish an Education Department-led task force that would keep a list of "sensitive" research projects, including those funded by the Defense and Energy departments and intelligence agencies.


The task force would monitor foreign student participation in those projects. Students with past or current citizenship in China, Russia, Iran or North Korea would not be allowed to access those projects without a waiver from the Director of National Intelligence.

Banks said in a statement that the bill is in part a reaction to a lackluster response from the Education Department to a June 19 letter dozens of lawmakers sent urging the agency to launch an investigation into possible attempts by Chinese organizations to steal research and technology from U.S. universities.

"The Department’s lack of a response prompted my colleagues and I to introduce this bill, mandating a more serious response from the Department to address this issue," Banks said in a statement.

Congress has held numerous hearings on potential attempts to spy on academic research in the U.S. The Pentagon is investigating research partnerships between Chinese firms and American universities, department officials have told Congress. And a scathing Senate report released last month blasted so-called Confucius Institutes paid for by the Chinese government and operating on dozens of American college campuses as too strictly controlled and a threat to academic freedom.

Under Banks' bill, the Education Department task force would have to report findings and recommendations to Congress twice a year, and it would have to provide universities with information about the threat posed by espionage as well as best practices and any specific risks at hand.

The Director of National Intelligence would also be required to monitor governments, corporations, nonprofits and for-profit organizations that "pose a threat to sensitive research projects at universities," including the Chinese technology firm Huawei and others.

Reps. Trent Kelly (R-Miss.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.) and Paul Cook (R-Calif.) have also signed onto the bill.

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