# 119-s-769: United States Research Protection Act of 2025

119-s-769, United States Research Protection Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] (R-TX); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-769
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-769
- Congress: 119
- Title: United States Research Protection Act of 2025
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-02-27
- Sponsor: Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] (R-TX)
- Cosponsors: 4
- Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Tightens and clarifies the ban on foreign talent recruitment tied to certain countries of concern.** This bill would redefine the key term in federal research rules as a "foreign country of concern" and expand the rule to cover programs, positions, or activities provided directly or indirectly, including incentives tied to countries such as China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. - Researchers who receive federal research funds would face clearer limits on participating in recruitment programs or accepting incentives from a foreign country of concern. This covers both direct payments and indirect incentives. - Universities, national labs, and other research institutions would need to apply a broader definition when managing conflict of interest and disclosure rules for staff and collaborators. - Federal agencies that fund research would get a reorganized and more explicit definition to use when enforcing restrictions and screening grants or awards.

## Cosponsors (4)

- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2025-02-27T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Curtis, John R. [R-UT] (R-UT), 2025-04-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL] (R-FL), 2025-09-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. McCormick, David [R-PA] (R-PA), 2025-11-20T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Researchers face stricter foreign recruitment rules: cost, low. If enacted, the bill would rename 'foreign country' to 'foreign country of concern' in the R&D Act's recruitment rule. It would cover programs, positions, or activities provided whether directly or indirectly. It would also shorten the definitional phrase to 'means any program, position, or activit…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025
- 119-s-4429: Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026
- 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas.
- 119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewellyn Kyl, former Senator for the State of Arizona.

## Sources
- [119-s-769 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/769)

## Related
- [119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1071)
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1241)
- [119-s-4429: Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4429)
- [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913)
- [119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewel…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-897)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-769 (as of 2026-09-10).