|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Both chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation — HB 1188 — on Monday addressing and prohibiting antisemitic discrimination in the state’s public K-12 schools and institutions of higher education.
The bill — which is supported by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) — was approved by 79-11 and 29-1 margins in the Tennessee House of Representatives and Senate, respectively, and now heads to Tennessee Governor Bill Lee for signature.
The full text of the legislation is available HERE.
The legislation, sponsored by State Representative Rusty Grills and State Senator Paul Rose, defines antisemitism using the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism, including its 11 contemporary examples.
“The purpose of this bill is to deter antisemitism on college and K-12 campuses,” Senator Rose said in floor remarks ahead of Monday’s vote, noting the rise in antisemitism across the United States and the globe in recent years, particularly in the aftermath of the October 7th massacre in Israel.
The IHRA antisemitism definition was already adopted by Tennessee in 2022 via HB 2673, passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Lee.
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 passed on Monday requires the integration of the definition into student, faculty, and employee codes of conduct or anti-discrimination policies. The bill also gives teeth to Title VI by directing the Tennessee Department of Education and each institution of higher education to designate a Title VI Coordinator to monitor, review, and investigate antisemitic complaints and incidents of discrimination, in public K-12 and post-secondary schools, and requires the coordinator to submit an annual report to the State Attorney General and the General Assembly.
CAM Director of State Engagement David Soffer spoke in favor of the bill at recent hearings of the Tennessee House and Senate Education Committees at the State Capitol in Nashville.
In his testimony, Soffer said the legislation would “send a powerful message that Tennessee is taking proactive steps to protect its Jewish community.”
“It will also demonstrate to the rest of the nation that Tennessee is committed to combating hatred in all its forms and ensuring the safety and dignity of all students, faculty members, and staff members,” he added.
The legislation is also backed by the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and the University of Memphis, the two largest higher education institutions in Tennessee.
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 Tennessee.
Similar legislative initiatives have also been put forth in Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma in recent months.
