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Two bills supported by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) were approved in floor votes by the Oklahoma State Senate on Tuesday.
SB 942 — initiated by State Senator Kristen Thompson — was passed by a 31-15 margin. This legislation defines antisemitism using the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism, including its 11 contemporary examples, and mandates the integration of the definition into student, faculty, and employee codes of conduct.
Furthermore, the bill gives teeth to Title VI of the U.S. Civil Rights Act by directing the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to designate a Title VI coordinator to monitor, review, and investigate antisemitic discrimination in public K-12 schools and post-secondary institutions.
Also approved by the Oklahoma State Senate on Tuesday, with a 27-15 vote, was another measure introduced by Senator Thompson — SB 991, which would adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism into Oklahoma state law, building on a January 2022 executive proclamation issued by Goveror Kevin Stitt endorsing the definition.
A total of 37 U.S. states have adopted the definition, according to a database compiled by the Antisemitism Research Center by CAM.
After the bills were advanced by Senate Education and Judiciary Committees in February, Senator Thompson stated, “Oklahoma has always stood against hate, and today we move one step closer to ensuring our universities are equipped to recognize and respond decisively to antisemitism. Every student deserves an environment free from discrimination and fear.”
“With this legislation, we send a clear message: hate has no place in Oklahoma,” she added. “We stand united, committed to protecting the dignity and safety of all Oklahomans.”
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 bills now under consideration in Oklahoma.
Similar legislative initiatives have also been put forth in Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, and Tennessee in recent weeks.
Read more:
Eight Hours of Warmth and Solidarity in Oklahoma
Oklahoma Senate Committees Advance Two CAM-Supported Bills to Fight Antisemitism at State Level
