Hoosier State Today

U.S. Representative Jim Banks (R-Ind.) has introduced a legislative proposal, known as the Breaking Beijing’s Hold on Campus Act. The bill is designed to enhance transparency and protect academic freedom from potential threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and other foreign adversaries. Banks has expressed growing concerns over China's increasing influence on college campuses, highlighting potential risks to national security and academic integrity.

The Breaking Beijing’s Hold on Campus Act was introduced by Banks with the intention of linking student and diplomatic visas to a commitment against transnational repression, such as reporting fellow students to the CCP for exercising free speech rights. The legislation aims to counteract CCP influence on American campuses by making visas conditional upon refraining from such actions. Banks underscored the importance of safeguarding free speech for students and thwarting CCP interference.

According to the press release, Georgetown law student Jinrui Zhang, who testified at the House Select Committee on the CCP in December 2023, endorsed the bill. Zhang voiced concerns about CCP surveillance and repression among Chinese national students. Additionally, Zhang emphasized the need to protect American democracy within educational institutions and prevent authoritarian practices from penetrating U.S higher education.

Banks said in a press release, "In the freest country on earth, students should not have to worry about their classmates reporting them to the Chinese Communist Party. This bill ensures that acting on behalf of or in coordination with the CCP on American college campuses will get you a one-way ticket home."

In an op-ed for Fox News, U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), who chairs the House Select Committee on the CCP, shared his personal encounters with Chinese students who have experienced harassment on campuses. Gallagher stated, "I have met dozens of Chinese students studying in America who have shared story after story of being harassed, followed and physically attacked for simple offenses like hanging posters or organizing panels – anything at all that strays from the CCP party line."

Banks was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2016, representing Indiana’s 3rd Congressional District. Prior to his election to Congress, Banks served in the Indiana state Senate from 2010-2016. In 2021, he served as chairman of the Republican Study Committee.