The House Education and Workforce Committee advanced legislation on Wednesday that would tighten reporting requirements for colleges and universities that receive foreign donations.

In a bipartisan 27-11 vote that saw three Democrats joining all present Republicans, the committee passed the "Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions Act," which would amend Section 117 of the Higher Education Act to require colleges to report donations from foreign entities that exceed $50,000. Current reporting requirements kick in at $250,000.

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"Greater accountability in foreign gift reporting at colleges and universities is desperately needed," House Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) said in a statement. "The DETERRENT Act brings much-needed transparency to the financial ties that our universities have with foreign entities. This bill will keep our adversaries at bay and hold our institutions to a higher standard."

The bill, which was introduced by Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA), comes three years after the Department of Education during the Trump administration released a report detailing widespread failure by universities to disclose foreign donations, especially from China and the Middle East. The bill, in addition to lowering the minimum reporting threshold for most donations, requires institutions to disclose any donations they receive from "countries of concern."

"There's no such thing as a free lunch," Steel said in a statement. "When our terror-friendly adversaries pour money into our colleges and universities, it's safe to say they want something in return. As reports have found, these adversaries seek increased access, political influence, and even the suppression of certain topics. This is happening all over the country. For example, Qatar — one of the most vocal pro-Hamas, antisemitic countries in the world — has given over $1 billion to U.S. universities from 2011 to 2016."

"The DETERRENT Act is designed to increase transparency and accountability to ensure these universities follow the law in reporting these 'donations,'" Steel continued. "After all, sunlight is the best disinfectant."

While Democratic Reps. Susan Wild (PA), Joe Courtney (CT), and Kathy Manning (NC) all voted for the bill during the committee markup, most Democrats voted against the bill, saying it would "jeopardize global research partnerships."

Ranking member Bobby Scott (D-VA) said that "we can all agree that institutions must be transparent about the resources they receive from foreign entities" but argued that the DETERRENT Act "fails to meaningfully address research security at our higher education institutions."

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"This bill will hinder institutions from continuing to conduct critical research that has a global impact, as well as limit their ability to function as the social, economic, and innovative hubs for which they are known," Scott said. "We can — and must — take targeted, evidence-based steps to protect our research and development initiatives without jeopardizing the global partnerships that benefit us all."

The committee voted down a handful of amendments to the bill proposed by Scott.