Florida Restricts Influence of Chinese Communist Party on Campuses of Public Colleges
“We are following through on our commitment to crack down on Communist China.”
Republicans in the Senate were really starting to deal with this issue a few years ago. It’s good to see Florida picking up the fight.
The College Fix reports:
Florida restricts Chinese Communist Party’s influence on college campuses
Florida public universities will have a harder time accepting grants or working with the People’s Republic of China and other “countries of concern” due to a recently enacted law.
Senate Bill 846, which became effective on July 1, prohibits “state universities and state colleges from accepting grants from or participating in partnerships or agreements with a college or university based in a foreign country of concern or with a foreign principal unless specified conditions are met,” according to the legislative summary.
It also requires the Board of Governors to approve partnerships with foreign countries or other entities.
Governor Ron DeSantis signed the legislation as part of a package of bills aimed at “counteract[ing] the malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party in the state of Florida,” which he called the “greatest geopolitical threat” in a news release.
“I’m proud to sign this legislation to stop the purchase of our farmland and land near our military bases and critical infrastructure by Chinese agents, to stop sensitive digital data from being stored in China, and to stop CCP influence in our education system from grade school to grad school,” DeSantis said, commenting on the package of bills. “We are following through on our commitment to crack down on Communist China.”
The College Fix reached out to four public universities in Florida via email to ask for their perspective on this new law and its potential effects.
The Fix reached out to the University of Florida, Florida State University, Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University but none have responded in the past two weeks.
The legislation passed with wide bipartisan support, although other bills in the package that would have restricted some property purchases for citizens of certain foreign countries drew protests, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
The influence of foreign adversaries on American education also has raised concerns among federal lawmakers, including Senator Marco Rubio, who represents Florida.
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Comments
I hope there are fines for individuals that work at the Universities that fail to follow the law.