Congressman Ritchie Torres, representing New York’s 15th District, alongside Congressman Mike Lawler, serving New York’s 97th District, are advocating for increased federal action to combat antisemitism on college campuses amidst a rise in anti-Israel demonstrations.
Torres and Lawler are set to introduce the College Oversight and Legal Updates Mandating Bias Investigations and Accountability (COLUMBIA) Act. This legislation, as reported by Jewish Insider, would empower the Department of Education to appoint a third-party monitor to address antisemitic incidents at any federally funded campus.
The urgency for such measures has been underscored by recent anti-Israel protests at Columbia University, resulting in numerous arrests and class disruptions. Similar demonstrations have erupted at Emory University, the University of Southern California, and the University of Texas-Austin.
Under the proposed COLUMBIA Act, institutions failing to cooperate with the monitoring process risk losing federal funding. The appointed monitors would issue quarterly public reports on campus progress in tackling antisemitism and offer recommendations to lawmakers and officials. The funding for these monitors would be covered by the monitored schools themselves.
In a statement to Jewish Insider, Congressman Torres emphasized the pressing need for federal intervention, stating that campus antisemitism has reached unprecedented levels, with universities ill-equipped to handle it independently. He highlighted the sentiment among Jewish students of feeling abandoned by university administrations.
Additionally, the House is gearing up to vote on the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023, another initiative spearheaded by Congressman Lawler. This bill aims to confront the escalating instances of antisemitism in educational settings.
At the core of the House bill is the proposal to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism. This definition, if endorsed by the Department of Education, would serve as a crucial tool in combatting discrimination on campuses nationwide.
