|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Both chambers of the Kansas State Legislature passed legislation on Wednesday reinforcing Kansas’ adoption of the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism.
SB 44 — with its amended text available HERE — received bipartisan backing, and was approved by 39-1 and 102-21 margins in the Kansas Senate and House of Representatives, respectively.
The bill now heads to Governor Laura Kelly for signature.
Once enacted, the legislation would mark the first time the IHRA antisemitism definition was codified in Kansas statute. It was previously adopted by the State Legislature via a resolution in 2022.
A total of 37 U.S. states have adopted the definition, according to a database compiled by the Antisemitism Research Center (ARC) by CAM.
The legislation is supported by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), and CAM Founder Adam Beren and Jewish University of Kansas graduate Robert Metz testified on behalf of an earlier version before the Kansas House Committee on Education on Feb. 11.
Under the bill, the words “antisemitism” or “antisemitic” include:
— Incorporating or allowing funding of antisemitic curriculum or activities in any domestic or study abroad programs or classes.
CAM is leading an organized effort to engage and educate state legislators across the United States on antisemitism-related issues and potential policy remedies, such as the bill in Kansas.
