Sen. Rick Scott reintroduced legislation last Friday aimed at cracking down on antisemitic harassment in higher education, proposing financial penalties for universities that fail to address discrimination against Jewish students.
The ‘Preventing Antisemitic Harassment on Campus Act‘ would amend Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to explicitly prohibit religious discrimination at institutions receiving federal funding. It would also require the U.S. Department of Education to enforce stricter penalties against universities found in violation, including potential funding cuts.
Under the proposal, colleges found in violation of Title VI twice within five years would face a 10% reduction in federal funding for the affected program. A third violation would result in a 33% cut.
The measure also directs the Department of Education to oversee private lawsuits against institutions accused of antisemitic discrimination and requires universities to notify students, faculty, and staff of any violations.
“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,” Scott said. “Jewish students were afraid to go to class, fearful of the violence these pro-terrorist mobs threatened. That can’t happen.”
According to Scott, the bill follows a surge in antisemitic incidents on college campuses after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas. The senator also said that the measure builds on President Donald Trump’s decision last week to withhold $400 million in federal funding from Columbia University, citing its handling of antisemitic incidents on campus.
“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,” he said.