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Prohibits covered higher education institutions from authorizing, funding, or otherwise supporting any campus event that "promotes antisemitism." It defines "antisemitism" by referring to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition adopted May 26, 2016, including the IHRA’s contemporary examples. The change is a single, narrow amendment to the Higher Education Act that creates a campus-level prohibition tied to a specific external definition of antisemitism; it does not include new funding or detailed enforcement language beyond existing Higher Education Act mechanisms.
The institution will not authorize, facilitate, provide funding for, or otherwise support any event promoting antisemitism on campus.
The term “antisemitism” is defined by reference to the working definition of antisemitism adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) on May 26, 2016, and includes the contemporary examples cited by the IHRA.
Who is affected and how:
Institutions of higher education: Most directly affected; they must change event-approval, funding, and sponsorship practices to avoid authorizing or supporting events the institution determines "promote antisemitism" under the IHRA working definition. Institutions may adopt new review procedures, documentation requirements, or conditions for student-group funding.
Students: Both Jewish students and other student groups are affected. Jewish students and campus Jewish organizations may gain stronger institutional protections against events the institution deems antisemitic. Other student groups or speakers—particularly those engaging in political speech about Israel/Palestine—may face additional scrutiny, limitation, or denial of institutional support if events are judged to run afoul of the IHRA definition.
Educators and campus staff: Faculty and staff who organize or participate in campus events may encounter new institutional processes for approval and potential restrictions on institutional sponsorship. Academic programming and classroom-adjacent public events may be reviewed for compliance.
Campus communities and public stakeholders: Campus-hosted public forums, external speakers, and community partnerships may be affected when events are planned on campus property or with institutional backing.
Federal oversight actors: While the amendment does not create new enforcement steps, agencies that administer HEA compliance could be asked to interpret and enforce the new prohibition using their existing authority. Institutions may face investigations or administrative consequences if found noncompliant under current HEA remedies.
Potential secondary effects and considerations:
Overall effect: The amendment is a concise, targeted change that conditions institutional behavior about campus events on an external definition of antisemitism; it primarily affects higher-education institutions and campus communities by introducing a new prohibitory standard tied to that definition.
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Introduced March 27, 2025 by Tim Scott · Last progress March 27, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Introduced in Senate