New Federal Bill Would Force Colleges To Combat Antisemitism On Campuses

By FrumNews.com 

The “Civil Rights Protection Act of 2024,” introduced by Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer in early June, has moved forward. 

The Act comes in response to verified reports of universities and colleges (who receive federal funding) threatening and discriminating against its Jewish population, as well as providing inadequate protection against threats and harm against its Jewish student body and staff, who have suffered from rising antisemitism on campuses around the country and ignored by their universities in the wake of the October 7th attack. 

The bill would increase Title VI compliance requirements, thereby making universities safer for all students—especially Jewish students. The original Title VI (of the Civil Rights Act of 1964) legislates that no person should be discriminated against by the United States government on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.

Specifically, the Civil Rights Protection Act:

• Requires institutions of higher education to inform students of investigative procedures for discrimination complaints.
• Requires these institutions to designate a coordinator to oversee the investigative process and ensures students who file a complaint receive timely notification when their report has been received, whether or not an investigation will be opened, an explanation of this decision, and what actions are being taken if an investigation is opened
• Requires these institutions to keep and maintain records of discrimination complaints and ensures students are informed how to submit a complaint to the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Education
• Revokes federal funding for higher education institutions that fail to meet these requirements
• Requires the Department of Education to report to Congress on the number and status of complaints being investigated.

By increasing Title VI compliance requirements for institutions of higher learning to remain eligible to receive federal funds, we are hopeful that university administrations will be moved to action in situations where they have previously failed to protect Jewish students on campus. With more than 140 open Title VI cases still being investigated by OCR, it’s clear that we must address a national campus climate that is permissive towards antisemitic discrimination on a systemic basis.

By making Title VI compliance requirements more closely match those of Title IX, the ‘Civil Rights Protection Act of 2024’ will help rebalance the scales of anti-discrimination work on campus, ensuring that attempts at inclusion do not themselves become discriminatory. 

The House Education & Workforce Committee recently moved forward the bill by favorably reporting the bill on a bipartisan vote.

The bill also would require the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the Department of Education to give monthly briefings on violations specific to race, color, or national origin, and report the findings of institutional complaints.

“We are thankful to Representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer for working with us to create a requirement for clearer reporting and investigative processes around discrimination based on ethnicity and shared ancestry,” Nathan Diament, Executive Director of Public Policy at the Orthodox Union, said. “This bill will ensure that universities can no longer ignore credible reports of antisemitism on campus, whether from students, professors, or faculty. We look forward to Jewish students returning to a more welcoming environment thanks to measures such as this.”

“I’m glad my proposal improving transparency and accountability among our higher education institutions is one step closer to becoming law. The bill would ensure colleges and universities are fulfilling their responsibility to protect students from discrimination, including Jewish students facing antisemitic attacks that have alarmingly escalated on campuses across the country. I’ll keep pushing to get this much-needed legislation across the finish line to help protect students,” Rep. Chavez-DeRemer said.