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At a Thursday markup session, the U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce voted to advance three bills aimed at protecting Jewish students and countering the spread of antisemitism across America’s education system.
The bills — all supported by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) — are:
— H.R. 8476, No Antisemitism in Education Act. Introduced by Rep. Randy Fine (R FL-6), the bill would require local educational agencies and institutions of higher education that receive federal funding to treat antisemitic discrimination as rigorously as other forms of discrimination prohibited under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The bill uses the same definition of antisemitism as Executive Order 13899, issued by President Donald Trump in December 2019.
— H.R. 4795, Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act. Introduced by Reps. Virginia Foxx (R NC-5) and Josh Gottheimer (D NJ-5), the bill would prohibit colleges and universities from receiving federal aid if they engage in discriminatory commercial and academic boycotts of major strategic partners of the U.S., including Israel.
— H.R. 9203, Student Protection and University Accountability Act. Introduced by Reps. Elise Stefanik (R NY-21) and Laura Gillen (D NY-4), the bill would require colleges and universities to establish formal procedures for investigating antisemitism complaints, publicize those procedures to the university community, and provide regular briefings to Congress on the handling of Title VI complaints. In addition, the act prohibits Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) from dismissing a case simply because another entity is investigating the same set of facts. Institutions risk losing federal funding if they fail to comply.
H.R. 8476 and H.R. 4795 were initially approved by voice votes on Thursday morning, and then recorded votes of 20-12 and 24-9 later in the day. H.R. 9203 was passed by a 18-15 recorded vote.
The post-October 7th rise of antisemitism at America’s K-20 schools “demands a decisive legislative response,” said CAM President of U.S. Affairs Alyza Lewin, who wrote official letters of support for the proposed bills. Each measure, she added “addresses a separate and important component of antisemitism in education.”
CAM’s Antisemitism Research Center (ARC) tracked 1,955 antisemitic incidents in the U.S. in 2025, with 531 occurring on college and university campuses.
“These are not statistics to be studied and set aside, but are a call to action,” Lewin noted. “Institutions have failed to respond with the urgency the moment demands. Jewish students, faculty, and staff continue to face harassment, intimidation, and exclusion.”
Lewin said the No Antisemitism in Education Act would “close the accountability gap that has allowed this failure to persist.”
“It’s high time the U.S. government ensconced Executive Order 13899 into law,” she added. “There is no disagreement on the fact that Jews are protected by Title VI. Without a definition, however, students are being denied Title VI protections by people who claim the Jews have no shared ancestry and ethnicity because Jews, according to them, are only a religion. The No Antisemitism in Education Act would ensure that Jewish students receive the Title VI protections to which they are entitled when they are targeted on the basis of their Jewish shared ancestry or ethnicity.”
Rep. Fine said on Thursday, “When you pass the right bills, you can solve the problems. Today with this bill and others, we will begin to advance legislation that will actually solve the problem.”
The Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act reflects the “common-sense principle that federally-funded universities must treat all of America’s strategic partners equally. It prevents discriminatory boycotts of Israel institutions, faculty, staff, and students,” Lewin stated.
“It also ensures that a goal of the Higher Education Act, to expose American students to foreign languages and culture, is not undermined,” she continued.
Referring to the Student Protection and University Accountability Act, Lewin said, “The bill sets out reporting requirements and holds universities accountable. The data that will be collected will not only help universities recognize and address trends, but also enable Congress to hold accountable those schools that fail to take adequate steps to address disturbing trends, including the proliferation of antisemitism. All students, not only Jewish students, will benefit from this law.”
“We commend Representatives Fine, Foxx, Gottheimer, Stefanik, and Gillen and Committee Chair Tim Walberg for their exemplary leadership on these bills and thank them for their longstanding commitment to safeguarding Jewish rights nationwide,” Lewin emphasized.
Watch a full recording of the U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce markup session HERE:
