On Friday, Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) reintroduced the Preventing Antisemitic Harassment on Campus Act. This bill would “hold Institutes of Higher Education (IHEs) accountable by requiring enforcement of federal antisemitism prohibitions.”
Sen. Scott introduced this bill alongside then-senator and current Secretary of State Marco Rubio. They cited the rise of antisemitic harassment cases at college campuses since the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel, which left over 1,000 civilians and IDF soldiers dead.
The presidents of Harvard, Penn, and Columbia have resigned due to these recorded instances.
The bill would expand the scope of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act – prohibiting discrimination based on religion (except for religious programs or activities), provide clear consequences for IHEs, aim to ensure that antisemitic discrimination penalties are equally enforced, and require the U.S. Department of Education to get involved with private lawsuits brought against IHEs that receive funding to combat antisemitism, among other efforts.
The Preventing Antisemitic Harassment on Campus Act comes just days after President Donald Trump (R) decided to cut $400 million in federal funding from Columbia University due to their failure to contain the "antisemitic actions" of students on campus.
Sen. Scott stated that some IHEs have failed to protect Jewish students on campus.
“Following Iran-backed Hamas’s attack on Israel, we saw a drastic rise in antisemitic attacks in the United States with anti-Israel mobs taking over campuses, and we’ve seen an unacceptable failure from leadership at higher education institutions to take action to condemn these mobs and protect Jewish students. Jewish students were afraid to go to class, fearful of the violence these pro-terrorist mobs threatened. That can’t happen," said Sen. Scott.
He continued, sharing that his bill expands on President Trump's efforts to address this issue.
President Trump is completely right to withhold federal funding from higher education institutions that refuse to enforce the law on their campuses and enable antisemitic hate to flourish, and I’m proud to lead this bill to build on his efforts.”
