HB 1776-FN - AS INTRODUCED
2026 SESSION
26-2923
07/08
HOUSE BILL 1776-FN
SPONSORS: Rep. Sweeney, Rock. 25; Rep. Alexander Jr., Hills. 29; Rep. Berry, Hills. 44
COMMITTEE: Education Funding
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
ANALYSIS
This bill requires higher educational institutions to report the reception of foreign grants, donations, and contracts to the department of education and the general court.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
26-2923
07/
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Chapter; Reporting of Funding from Foreign Sources. Amend RSA by inserting after chapter 200-O the following new chapter:
CHAPTER 200-P
REPORTING OF FUNDING FROM FOREIGN SOURCES
200-P:1 Reporting of Funding from Foreign Sources.
I. As used in this section:
(a) “Contract” means any agreement for the acquisition by purchase, lease, or barter of property or services by the foreign source, for the direct benefit or use of either of the parties;
(b) “Foreign source” means:
(1) A foreign government, including an agency of a foreign government;
(2) A legal entity, governmental or otherwise, created solely under the laws of a foreign government;
(3) An individual who is not a citizen of the United States, a trust territory or protectorate thereof; and
(4) An agent, including a subsidiary or affiliate of a foreign legal entity, acting on behalf of a foreign source.
(c) “Reportable funding” means any contract, gift, grant, endowment, award, or donation, payment in exchange for services, capital investment, salary, wage, compensation, fee, or other monetary exchange, including any pledge, promise, agreement, or expressed intention by the foreign source to provide funding which exceeds $50,000 in value or is expected to exceed $50,000 in value over the projected length of the funding relationship between the covered institution and the foreign source.
(d) “Covered institution” means any institution, public or private, organized under the laws of or having a campus or place of business in this state, that:
(1) Is authorized to provide a program of education beyond secondary school within this state; and
(2) Provides a program for which the institution awards a bachelor’s degree, or provides not less than a 2-year program which is acceptable for full credit toward such a degree, or a more advanced degree.
II. Except as provided in paragraph V, each covered institution shall provide on the first day of each calendar quarter a report detailing all reportable funding received by the covered institution from a foreign source during the previous calendar quarter. The report shall include:
(a) The amount of reportable funding received;
(b) A description of the type of reportable funding and the purpose thereof, including whether the funding reported is part of an ongoing relationship with the foreign source;
(c) A detailed description of the foreign source providing the funding, including the name and address of the entity or individual providing the funding; and
(d) A copy of any contract, agreement, pledge, or memorandum of understanding associated with the funding; and
III. The report required under paragraph II shall be public record and shall be posted and regularly updated on the department of education's website. A copy of the report shall be provided to the governor, the chair of the higher education committee of the house of representatives, and the chair of the higher education committee of the senate.
IV. The willful failure of a covered institution to report covered funding received from a foreign source shall result in a fine of up to $10,000 per incident, and forfeiture of any other received but unreported funds. The department of justice shall be empowered to enforce this section.
V. This shall not require reporting of payments made by a natural person who would otherwise qualify as a foreign source for tuition or related fees to support an individual matriculating as a student at a covered institution.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
26-2923
12/16/25
HB 1776-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS INTRODUCED
FISCAL IMPACT: This bill does not provide funding, nor does it authorize new positions.
|
| |||||
Estimated State Impact | ||||||
| FY 2026 | FY 2027 | FY 2028 | FY 2029 | ||
Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Revenue Fund(s) | None | |||||
Expenditures* | $0 | Indeterminable | ||||
Funding Source(s) | General Fund, USNH and CCSNH Operating Expenses | |||||
Appropriations* | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Funding Source(s) | None | |||||
*Expenditure = Cost of bill *Appropriation = Authorized funding to cover cost of bill | ||||||
The Office of Legislative Budget Assistant is unable to provide a complete fiscal note for this bill as it is awaiting information from the Department of Education. The Department was initially contacted on 11/04/25 for a fiscal note worksheet, with follow-up contact made on 12/05/25. When completed, the fiscal note will be forwarded to the House Clerk's Office.
METHODOLOGY:
This bill requires higher educational institutions to report the reception of foreign grants, donations, and contracts to the Department of Education and the General Court. The Department of Justice (DOJ) states this bill provides that a covered institution’s willful failure to report a funding source shall result in a fine of up to $10,000 per incident, and forfeiture of received and unreported funds. The DOJ states it is not in possession of data to estimate the frequency of reportable funding events or the likelihood of noncompliance. Therefore, the fiscal impact cannot be determined at this time. If violations occur with any frequency, the DOJ may require at least one new full-time attorney position to carry out enforcement responsibilities. The DOJ has not provided any position details, but has provided a total potential cost range of $100,000 to $500,000 per year. This bill provides neither authorization nor appropriation for new personnel.
The University System of New Hampshire and Community College System of New Hampshire state that any impact from this bill would be less than $10,000 per year.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Department of Education, Department of Justice, University System of New Hampshire and Community College System of New Hampshire
Dec. 17, 2025: Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Education Funding HJ 1