By Donny Ferguson

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., introduced the "Preventing Malign CCP Influence on Academic Institutions Act" to expose a sophisticated finance program Communist Chinese leaders are using to fund lesson plans in U.S. classrooms.

"The Chinese Communist Party has been targeting our universities for a long time, and Americans deserve to know whether their schools are yoking themselves to such an oppressive, authoritarian regime. This bill would shine a light on where Beijing is peddling its influence on the U.S. campuses that shape our kids' hearts and minds," said Kennedy.

Kennedy's bill would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require public disclosure of foreign gifts to American schools.

"Under Kennedy's bill, any educational institution that receives more than $5,000 from a Chinese-affiliated entity in any given year would have to disclose the full name of the donor to the Department of Education.

Kennedy's bill would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require public disclosure of foreign gifts to American schools.

“Under Kennedy's bill, any educational institution that receives more than $5,000 from a Chinese-affiliated entity in any given year would have to disclose the full name of the donor to the Department of Education. The school would also have to provide instructions on how the Department of Education can gather more information about the donation,” Kennedy's office reports in a statement announcing the legislation.

“Chinese-affiliated entities would include individuals; universities; think tanks; cultural, educational or language programs; Chinese state-owned entities; or companies, think tanks or nonprofits that have members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sitting on their boards of directors,” the statement adds.