Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas House Bill HB2661

Introduced

2/3/26

Refer

2/3/26

Caption

Enacting the foreign adversaries out of higher education act to prohibit postsecondary educational institutions from accepting gifts, grants and other moneys from foreign adversaries and their affiliates, prohibiting certain foreign adversary affiliates from operating on campuses and providing training and education on such foreign adversaries and their affiliates.

Impact

The implications of HB2661 extend to existing state and institutional policies surrounding funding and operational autonomy in higher education. By mandating these financial restrictions, the bill is expected to significantly impact universities' funding strategies, potentially leading to budgetary shortfalls and re-evaluation of partnerships with international institutions. This may also compel colleges to seek alternative funding sources, which could inadvertently affect academic programs relying heavily on foreign support, particularly in research and innovation ventures.

Summary

House Bill 2661, known as the Foreign Adversaries Out of Higher Education Act, aims to enforce stricter regulations on postsecondary educational institutions regarding financial interactions with foreign adversaries. Specifically, the bill prohibits these institutions from accepting gifts, grants, or any other form of monetary support from entities deemed to be foreign adversaries and their affiliates. The goal behind this legislation is to safeguard the integrity of educational systems and to mitigate potential influences or disruptions in the academic environment that could arise from foreign relationships deemed adversarial to national interests.

Contention

The bill has spurred considerable debate among lawmakers, academic professionals, and advocacy groups. Proponents argue that the enactment of HB2661 is essential for protecting academic freedom and avoiding undue influence from foreign governments or entities. Conversely, opponents raise concerns about the broader implications of such restrictions on educational collaboration and exchange, arguing that the bill could isolate U.S. institutions from beneficial global partnerships. Additionally, critics fear that the definitions of 'foreign adversaries' could be misapplied, potentially leading to a chilling effect on educational engagement and international cooperation.

Notable_points

The enforcement mechanisms and the definition of foreign adversaries under the bill remain central points of contention. There is a lack of clarity on how universities will be informed about which entities are classified as foreign adversaries and the processes for reporting affiliations with these entities. This uncertainty could lead to confusion and inconsistency in compliance, raising concerns among higher education stakeholders about the practical implementation of these regulations.

Latest KS HB2661 Activity

View All Events: KS 2025-2026 Regular Session HB2661

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

KS SB7

Authorizing federally licensed firearm dealers, in addition to county sheriffs, to receive applications for concealed carry licenses and forward such applications to the attorney general, prohibiting sheriffs from assessing any fee related to application services and allowing dealers to assess a fee related to application services not to exceed $20.

KS SB3

Clarifying the procedures and restrictions on accepting a nomination for an elected office.

KS HB2003

Establishing the veterans' valor property tax relief act providing for an income tax credit or refund for eligible individuals, modifying the definition of household income and increasing the appraised value threshold for eligibility of seniors and disabled veterans related to increased property tax claims and citing the section as the homeowners' property tax freeze program, providing property tax exemptions for certain personal property including watercraft, marine equipment, off-road vehicles, motorized bicycles and certain trailers, excluding internal revenue code section 1031 exchange transactions as indicators of fair market value, providing for certain exclusions from the prohibition of paying taxes under protest after a valuation notice appeal and providing four prior years' values on the annual valuation notice.

KS SB8

Exempting the sale of firearms, firearms accessories, ammunition, firearm safes and firearm safety devices from the retatilers' sales tax.

KS SB1

Modifying income tax rates for individuals, exempting all social security benefits from Kansas income tax, increasing the Kansas standard deduction and the Kansas personal exemption, increasing the income tax credit amount for household and dependent care expenses, decreasing the privilege tax normal tax, excluding internal revenue code section 1031 exchange transactions as indicators of fair market value for property tax valuation purposes, increasing the extent of property tax exemption for residential property from the statewide school levy, providing for certain transfers to the state school district finance fund and abolishing the local ad valorem tax reduction fund and the county and city revenue sharing fund.

KS HB2001

Authorizing the secretary of commerce to enter into agreements with major professional sports franchises to establish STAR bond projects for a major professional sports complex, providing for additional revenue sources, expanding the powers and discretion of the secretary and making other changes to the STAR bonds financing act to facilitate such projects, limiting the secretary’s authority to approve such projects to one year unless extended by the legislative coordinating council, authorizing the Kansas development finance authority to issue STAR bonds for such projects, transferring funds under certain circumstances from the state gaming revenues fund to the attracting professional sports to Kansas fund for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, and, if approved by the legislative coordinating council, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026.

KS SB2

Eliminating the income limit to qualify for the subtraction modification exempting social security benefits, increasing the income tax credit amount for household and dependent care expenses, establishing the veterans' valor property tax relief act providing for an income tax credit or refund for eligible individuals, citing the increased property tax homestead refund claim section as the homeowners' property tax freeze program, decreasing the normal privilege tax rate, increasing the extent of property tax exemption for residential property from the statewide school levy, decreasing the rate of ad valorem tax imposed by a school district; providing for certain transfers to the state school district finance fund, reducing the state rate of tax on sales of food and food ingredients and modifying the percent credited to the state highway fund from revenue collected.

KS HB2002

Expanding medical assistance eligibility and enacting the cutting healthcare costs for all Kansans act.

KS SB6

Providing a sales tax exemption for sales of electricity to residential premises by municipally owned or operated utilities.

KS SR1702

A resolution honoring the life, career and trailblazing achievements of Kansas icon Ed Dwight.

Similar Bills

TX HB119

Relating to the registration as a lobbyist of persons who engage in certain lobbying activities on behalf of a foreign adversary and to prohibitions on the receipt of compensation related to those lobbying activities; providing a civil penalty.

IL SB2365

FOREIGN ADVERSARY DIVESTMENT

TX SB2514

Relating to establishing the hostile foreign adversaries unit at the Department of Public Safety and training, prohibitions, and reporting requirements designed to combat foreign influence and foreign adversary operations; creating a criminal offense.