Lawler, Gottheimer to reintroduce Antisemitism Awareness Act
Companion legislation in the Senate is expected soon from Sens. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV)

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Rep. Josh Gottheimer (R-NJ) leaves a meeting of the House Democratic Caucus at the Democratic National Committee on Tuesday, July 9, 2024./Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) listens as Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX) and Rep. Maria Salazar (R-FL) speak during a press conference on immigration outside the U.S. Capitol Building on May 23, 2023 in Washington, DC.
Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and 55 other House members are set to reintroduce the Antisemitism Awareness Act on Wednesday, a priority piece of legislation for the Jewish community that ultimately failed to pass the Senate last year after securing bipartisan support in the House.
Lawler told Jewish Insider that, in the wake of continuing antisemitic activity on campus, “it’s critically important to ensure that Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act is upheld and that these universities and colleges are held to account and that they uphold federal law,” something he said administrators had repeatedly failed to do.
He said that reintroducing and passing the bill “sends a message nationwide that antisemitism is not going to be tolerated.”
The bill codifies the executive order from the first Trump administration that classified antisemitism, as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition, as a prohibited form of discrimination in schools and universities.
Gottheimer said that Congress should act promptly.
“Our bipartisan bill passed the House with overwhelming support last Congress, and, given the huge spike of antisemitism in our country, we will keep fighting until it’s signed into law,” Gottheimer said in a statement to JI. “No more excuses or delays — it’s time to act and protect Jewish students and families in campuses and communities nationwide.”
The bill is expected to be re-introduced in the Senate soon as well, led by Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), who is replacing former Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) as the lead Democratic sponsor.
The legislation failed to pass the Senate last year. Then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) did not bring it up for a floor vote, instead pushing for it to be included in a year-end must-pass legislative package, a request that was rejected by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). Bipartisan compromise negotiations on that effort also failed.
“In the continued aftermath of the October 7th attacks on Israel by Hamas and Iran, we have seen college campuses across our nation become hotbeds of antisemitism where Jewish students’ rights are being threatened,” Scott said in a statement to JI. “It’s critical the Department of Education has the tools and resources it needs to investigate antisemitism and root out this vile hatred wherever it rears its ugly head. There can be no equivocating when it comes to the issue of anti-Jewish violence and harassment.”
“I’m glad to be working across the aisle with Senator Scott to introduce this critical legislation in the Senate to help tackle rising antisemitism on college campuses and at schools across the country,” Rosen said in a statement to JI.
Lawler rejected as “bunk” claims from some far-right Republicans that the legislation would criminalize or ban the Bible because the IHRA definition’s associated examples describe it as antisemitic to declare that Jews killed Jesus.
“I’m Christian, I’m Catholic, so I would not have introduced legislation that would ban the Bible,” Lawler told JI.
He said he’ll work to ensure the bill passes the House “with broad bipartisan support,” adding that he’s confident that it will do so.
Opposition to the legislation on both sides of the aisle seems to have grown since the bill first passed the House.
Lawler said he hasn’t spoken to House leadership yet about scheduling a House vote on the bill, and will start those talks once it has been re-introduced.
The New York congressman praised the steps the Trump administration has taken, including ordering the deportation of students involved in pro-Hamas activity who are in the U.S. on visas, describing the Antisemitism Awareness Act as one necessary step of many.
He said that he communicated to President Donald Trump that he planned to introduce the legislation and that it “obviously is in line with where the administration is on the issue.”
Lawler said that the executive order must be codified into law to ensure that a future president cannot eliminate it and that the current and future administrations and colleges are fully abiding by it.