H.R. 1018 – INSTRUCT Act of 2025

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Updated November 24, 2025 at 3:03 AM UTC

The INSTRUCT Act of 2025 amends the Higher Education Act to tighten how colleges report foreign gifts and contracts. It makes those disclosure reports publicly accessible and requires the Education Department to share the full, unredacted reports with a broad set of federal agencies shortly after receipt. The law also mandates a GAO study to improve inter‑agency coordination and enforcement of the new requirements.

Key Provisions

All disclosure reports about foreign gifts or contracts that colleges must file under the Higher Education Act will be public records that anyone can inspect during business hours.
Within 30 days of receiving a report, the Secretary of Education must send an unredacted copy—including the foreign source’s name and address—to a list of senior officials from agencies such as the FBI, CIA, Department of State, Department of Defense, and others.
Within 90 days of the law taking effect, the Secretary must also forward any earlier reports and any investigation records related to compliance to the same list of officials.
The Government Accountability Office must begin a study within 180 days to find ways to improve agency coordination, information sharing, and enforcement of these disclosure rules, and must report the findings to Congress within three years.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action

HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Education and Workforce Committee

February 5, 2025

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

February 5, 2025

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Education and Workforce Committee

February 5, 2025

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued February 5, 2025

I

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 1018

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 5, 2025

Mr. Messmer introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce

A BILL

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require additional information in disclosures of foreign gifts and contracts from foreign sources.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Instructing Noteworthy Steps toward Transparency to Rout and Undo Calamitous Transactions Act of 2025 or the INSTRUCT Act of 2025.

2.

Interagency information sharing

(a)

Public records and sharing of reports

Section 117(e) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1011f(e)) is amended to read as follows:

(e)

(1)

Public inspection

All disclosure reports required by this section shall be public records open to inspection and copying during business hours.

(2)

Interagency information sharing

Not later than 30 days after receiving a disclosure report from an institution in compliance with this section, the Secretary shall transmit an unredacted copy of such report (that includes the name and address of a foreign source disclosed in such report) to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Director of National Intelligence, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of Energy, the Director of the National Science Foundation, and the Director of the National Institutes of Health.

.

(b)

Interagency information sharing

Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education shall transmit to each individual listed in section 117(e)(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended by this Act—

(1)

any report received by the Department of Education under section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1011f) prior to the date of enactment of this Act; and

(2)

any report, document, or other record generated by the Department of Education in the course of an investigation—

(A)

of an institution with respect to the compliance of such institution with such section; and

(B)

initiated prior to the date of enactment of this Act.

(c)

GAO Study and Report

(1)

Study

Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall initiate a study to identify ways to improve intergovernmental agency coordination regarding implementation and enforcement of sections 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1011f), as amended by this Act, including increasing information sharing, increasing compliance rates, and establishing processes for enforcement.

(2)

Report

Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to Congress, and make public, a report containing the results of the study described in paragraph (1).