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Amends Section 601 (42 U.S.C. 2000d) to add 'religion' as a prohibited ground of discrimination and to restructure/add subsections including a definition that, for postsecondary educational programs/activities, 'discrimination' includes deliberate indifference to severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive harassment that denies equal access.
Adds a new provision (captioned '607') to Title VI stating that the prohibition on discrimination on the ground of religion under Title VI shall not apply to a program or activity conducted or controlled by, or otherwise affiliated with, a religious organization, including a student religious organization.
Adds to Part B of title I of the Higher Education Act of 1965 a new section (section 124) establishing sanctions, monitoring, notification, and reporting requirements for institutions of higher education that receive Federal financial assistance and are found to have violated title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with respect to antisemitic discrimination.
Adds religion as a protected characteristic under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, defines antisemitism, and directs federal enforcement of Title VI against antisemitic discrimination. For colleges and universities that receive federal Higher Education Act (HEA) funding, it creates new procedures, required notices, hearings, fines for repeat violations, monitoring, and reporting when an institution is found to have allowed antisemitic discrimination. The bill preserves a narrow exemption for programs run by or affiliated with religious organizations, limits certain expansions of authority, and includes a severability clause.
Amends Section 601 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d) by striking "or national origin" and inserting "national origin, or religion", thereby adding religion as a protected characteristic under that section.
Adds a new Section 607 to Title VI stating that the prohibition of discrimination on the ground of religion under Title VI does not apply to a program or activity that is conducted or controlled by, or is otherwise affiliated with, a religious organization, including a student religious organization.
Amends Section 601 to revise certain subsection text and to add a provision that, for purposes of Title VI with respect to educational programs or activities of colleges, universities, other postsecondary institutions, or public systems of higher education, defines that deliberate indifference to harassment that is so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a victim equal access to the educational program or activity counts as discrimination.
States the policy of the United States that Title VI shall be enforced against prohibited forms of discrimination rooted in antisemitism no less vigorously than against all other forms of discrimination prohibited by Title VI.
Defines the term "antisemitism" to mean a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews, and whose rhetorical and physical manifestations are directed toward (A) Jewish or non-Jewish individuals or their property, or (B) Jewish community institutions or religious facilities.
Primary effects fall on institutions of higher education that receive federal HEA funding: they must respond to complaints, participate in notice-and-hearing processes, implement remedies, notify campus communities of findings, and may face fines and court-ordered monitoring for repeat violations. Students—especially Jewish students and others who experience or report discrimination—are direct beneficiaries of strengthened Title VI protections and a statutory definition of antisemitism. Educators and campus staff may face increased institutional procedures for investigating and remediating harassment. Religious organizations and faith-affiliated programs are explicitly preserved by an exemption, meaning programs run by or affiliated with religious entities are not subject to the new prohibition in the same way. The Department of Education and federal courts gain clearer statutory guidance on evaluating antisemitism claims and the authority to appoint monitors; this increases administrative enforcement activity and reporting to Congress. Expected consequences include additional compliance and legal costs for institutions, potential increases in enforcement actions and litigation, possible campus policy changes to address harassment, and debates over the law’s interaction with free-speech and academic-freedom protections.
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Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced May 8, 2025 by Randy Fine · Last progress May 8, 2025
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House