H.R. 1318 · Where this bill is now
In the Senate
Passed the House Mar 24, 2025. Received Mar 25, 2025; no Senate vote yet
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryClarifies rules on foreign researcher recruitment
Some foreign countries run programs that offer money or perks to researchers in the United States to get them to share research secrets or do unauthorized work. This bill clarifies what counts as one of these problematic recruitment programs under existing law. Specifically, it says these rules apply to programs run by countries of concern like China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia, and that the incentives can be direct payments or indirect benefits.
How it affects you
If you're a researcher who receives federal funding, this clarifies that you're prohibited from participating in these foreign recruitment programs. The bill makes the rules clearer but doesn't change who is restricted—it just explains what the existing restrictions mean.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Feb 13, 2025)
United States Research Protection Act
This bill clarifies the definition of a malign foreign talent recruitment program under the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act.
The Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act, which was included in the CHIPS and Science Act, prohibits researchers who receive federal funds from participating in malign foreign talent recruitment programs, in which foreign countries incentivize or compensate researchers for activities that present a conflict of interest for the researcher or that are otherwise unauthorized (e.g., sharing proprietary information without proper authorization).
The bill clarifies that these restrictions apply to programs that are sponsored by a foreign country of concern, including China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. The bill also clarifies that malign foreign talent recruitment programs may involve direct or indirect compensation or incentives from such countries.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 1318
AN ACT
United States Research Protection Act
Sponsor: Rep. Mike Kennedy (R-UT-3) · Introduced Feb 13, 2025 · Science, Technology, Communications · 3 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Mar 25, 2025: “Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.”
Sections
The wording of this bill hasn’t changed across its 3 official versions.