The INSTRUCT Act of 2025 (H.R. 1018) would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require more information in disclosures about foreign gifts and contracts from foreign sources. A key change is that all disclosure reports would become public records. It also creates a broad interagency sharing requirement: within 30 days of receiving a compliant disclosure, the Department of Education must provide an unredacted copy of the report (including the name and address of the foreign source) to a list of major federal agencies, including the FBI, DNI, CIA, State, Defense, the Attorney General, Commerce, Homeland Security, Energy, NSF, and NIH. The bill further requires the Department to share earlier reports and any investigation records initiated before enactment with those same agencies within 90 days. Finally, it requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to study interagency coordination on implementing and enforcing these provisions within set timelines and to report its findings publicly within three years.
Key Points
- 1Public disclosure reports: All reports required under this section would be public records open to inspection and copying during business hours.
- 230-day interagency sharing: Within 30 days of receipt, the Department of Education must transmit an unredacted copy of each disclosure report (including foreign source name and address) to the FBI, DNI, CIA, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Attorney General, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Homeland Security, Secretary of Energy, the Director of the NSF, and the Director of the NIH.
- 390-day retrospective transmission: Within 90 days of enactment, DOE must provide the listed agencies with (1) any reports already received under section 117, and (2) any report, document, or record from investigations initiated prior to enactment.
- 4GAO study and report: The Comptroller General must begin a study within 180 days to identify ways to improve intergovernmental coordination on implementing and enforcing section 117, including increasing information sharing, improving compliance, and establishing enforcement processes; a public report on the study is due within 3 years.
- 5Short title: The act is titled the INSTRUCT Act of 2025 (full formal name: INSTRUCTing Noteworthy Steps toward Transparency to Rout and Undo Calamitous Transactions Act of 2025).