Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2024

Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
senate
house
president

Introduced on April 16, 2024 by Tim Scott

Cosponsors

Legislation Details

  • Provides statutory authority for the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism when investigating complaints of discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in federally assisted programs or activities.
  • Defines antisemitism according to the IHRA as a perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.
  • Emphasizes that Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs receiving federal financial assistance and that discrimination against Jews may constitute a violation of this title when based on race, color, or national origin.
  • States the policy of the United States to enforce Title VI against discrimination rooted in antisemitism as vigorously as against all other forms of discrimination prohibited by Title VI.
  • Highlights the rise of antisemitism in the United States and its impact on Jewish students in K-12 schools, colleges, and universities.
  • Mentions that the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism is a vital tool for understanding and identifying manifestations of antisemitism.
  • References Executive Order 13899, which extended protections against discrimination to individuals subjected to antisemitism on college and university campuses and tasked federal agencies to consider the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism when enforcing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
  • Notes that the Department of Education has used the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism since 2018 when investigating violations of Title VI.
  • Acknowledges the release of the first-ever United States National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism on May 25, 2023, emphasizing the national, bipartisan priority to fight antisemitism through a whole-of-government-and-society approach.
  • Clarifies that the Department of Education should consider the definition of antisemitism in assessing whether an act was motivated by antisemitic intent when reviewing, investigating, or deciding violations of Title VI based on an individual’s Jewish ancestry or ethnic characteristics.
  • Ensures that the act does not expand the authority of the Secretary of Education, alter the standards for determining actionable discrimination, or infringe upon rights protected under any other law or the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

Last updated 10/7/2024