[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 48 (Tuesday, March 20, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H1703]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                CREATING TRANSPARENCY THROUGH DISCLOSURE

  (Mr. WILSON of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, today I introduced the 
Foreign Influence Transparency Act, which requires organizations, such 
as the Confucius Institute, to register under the Foreign Agents 
Registration Act, FARA, if they promote the political agenda of a 
foreign country.
  The goal of this legislation is to increase transparency between 
foreign governments, universities, and students. Americans have the 
right to know if they are consuming propaganda that is produced by a 
foreign government.
  Currently, FARA contains a technicality that allows foreign 
governments or organizations to push their political agenda under the 
facade of an ``academic pursuit.'' The Foreign Influence Transparency 
Act will clarify the intent and ensure that all propaganda funded by 
foreign governments at least contains a disclaimer.
  The Foreign Influence Transparency Act also decreases the monetary 
threshold of foreign donations that universities are required to 
disclose. Currently, universities only report on donations they receive 
of $250,000 or more, while organizations, such as the Confucius 
Institute, operate below that level. This results in a lack of 
disclosure to students and parents. The goal of this legislation is 
simple, and that is to create transparency through disclosure.
  In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget 
September the 11th in the global war on terrorism.

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