A new Senate bill is targeting antisemitism and Islamophobia on college and university campuses.
Introduced Thursday by Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Bob Casey, D-Pa., the Protecting Students on Campus Act of 2024 targets on-campus antisemitism and discrimination.
The legislation would make it easier for students to file civil rights complaints holding schools accountable for protecting them against harassment due to their heritage.
In a joint statement, Fetterman announced how important it was.
"Amid a despicable rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia in our country," Fetterman said, "I am proud to introduce this bill with my colleagues to empower students facing discrimination to take action and hold universities accountable in protecting students."
"Discrimination should never stand in the way of a student’s education," Casey added in the joint statement. "Our students deserve accountability when they’re made to feel unsafe in the classroom."
The senators said the legislation would specifically empower students by improving awareness of how to report alleged civil rights violations, ensure institutions that get federal funding properly handle discrimination complaints, and require the assistant secretary of civil rights to give Congress briefings on reports, action plans, and length of pending complaints.
"No student should be harassed or attacked at school just because of who they are," Cassidy said. "This legislation holds colleges and universities accountable and ensures discrimination against students is never ignored."
Cassidy also called on the Biden administration to address antisemitism toward Jewish children in K-12 schools.
The proposed bill would bar the Department of Education from closing case complaints or dismissing them even if they have been resolved by another entity.
Thousands of incidents of antisemitism have been reported in the United States since the Hamas Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the Anti-Defamation League reported last month.
At the same time, The Council on American-Islamic Relations reported it documented an "appalling" rise in anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias incidents, according to CNN.
Fran Beyer ✉
Fran Beyer is a writer with Newsmax and covers national politics.
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