Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and John Fetterman (D-PA) will reintroduce their bill requiring universities to make students aware of their right to file Title VI complaints if they experience discrimination or harassment on campus, Jewish Insider has learned.

The Protecting Students on Campus Act, to be reintroduced on Tuesday morning, would require the Department of Education to have a prominently displayed link on its homepage to the Office for Civil Rights’ webpage where individuals can directly submit civil rights complaints. The OCR, a part of the DOE, is legally obligated to respond to complaints of discrimination based on national origin under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 

Additionally, the legislation would require schools that receive federal funds to deliver an annual report to the DOE’s inspector general on instances of and responses to discrimination and require the IG to audit institutions “that report high ratios of discrimination complaints relative to their student population.” It would also instruct the department’s assistant secretary for civil rights to brief Congress monthly on how many reports OCR has received and what the office’s plans are to work through those complaints. 

“The threats and attacks against Jewish students since October 7 are despicable. No one should fear for their safety at school because of who they are,” Cassidy, the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, said. “This bipartisan bill holds universities accountable to address discrimination and maintain a safe learning environment for all students.”

“Colleges should be places for students to learn and grow, and the Protecting Students on Campus Act would help ensure that they are exactly that. This bill is about protecting young people facing discrimination on college campuses and making sure they know their rights,” Fetterman said. 

“The increasing rates of discrimination, including harassment, hateful speech and instances of vandalism, have left students feeling unsafe and threatened based on their race or what country they’re from, particularly over the last couple years. Colleges need to do more to protect students and help them find paths to recourse. This bill would help us get clearer view of where these terrible acts are happening, understand actions taken by colleges to address these occurrences, and hold colleges accountable,” he continued.

Cassidy first crafted the bill after holding a bipartisan roundtable on campus antisemitism one month after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks in his capacity as the top Republican on Senate HELP. Several of the featured panelists said that many students were ignorant of their rights under Title VI or how to file OCR complaints. He and Fetterman introduced the legislation in January 2024, as reported cases of campus antisemitism surged to record levels. Efforts to get the bill floor consideration or passed through the HELP committee in the Democratic-controlled Senate last year were unsuccessful, forcing Cassidy and Fetterman to bring it up again in this Congress. 

The legislation has been endorsed by the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee, both of which praised the senators for reintroducing the bill.

“In the aftermath of Hamas’s barbaric attack on October 7, we have witnessed a tsunami of antisemitism on college and university campuses,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. 

“More must be done to protect Jewish students, hold universities accountable, and improve transparency and safeguards against this hate. ADL thanks Sens. Cassidy and Fetterman for reintroducing the Protecting Students on Campus Act and urges its swift passage,” Greenblatt continued.

“AJC applauds Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) for leading the Protecting Students on Campus Act,” AJC CEO Ted Deutch said. “This legislation empowers students to report incidents of antisemitism, prejudice, and hate, ensuring that our institutions of higher education are effectively addressing discrimination complaints and remain a welcoming space for all.”

“In the aftermath of October 7, antisemitic incidents — including those glorifying and justifying Hamas’s assault — have occurred throughout the U.S. on college campuses and at an increasing number of secondary schools,” Deutch said.