House Bill 2299, a new bill aimed at prohibiting antisemitic discrimination in Kansas’s public K-12 schools, colleges, and universities, was presented at a Kansas House Committee on Education hearing on Tuesday.

According to the bill, the terms “antisemitism” or “antisemitic” are defined according to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, including the definition’s contemporary examples.

“It is declared to be the policy of the state that public educational institutions that receive and expend tax dollars are prohibited from engaging in practices or implementing policies that: (A) Discriminate or cause prejudice on the basis of religion; or (B) promote or tolerate antisemitism or antisemitic acts,” HB 2299 states.

It also allows the state’s attorney-general to investigate, impose penalties, and act on complaints referred by the human rights commission.

Kansas became the 20th state to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism in 2022 after the Kansas State Senate passed a resolution recognizing the growing problem of antisemitism in the United States.

New York, NY USA - April 20, 2024 : Protesters waving Palestinian flags and sign at a demonstration near Columbia University Medical Center at the Plaza de las Americas in Washington Heights, New York (credit: SHUTTERSTOCK)
New York, NY USA - April 20, 2024 : Protesters waving Palestinian flags and sign at a demonstration near Columbia University Medical Center at the Plaza de las Americas in Washington Heights, New York (credit: SHUTTERSTOCK)
Kansas’s current attorney-general, Kris Kobach, supports HB 2299, Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) noted.

CAM, a leading NGO and international network of 850 groups dedicated to combating antisemitism, also supports the new house bill.

“This legislation is a timely and critical bill that will hopefully prevent any further issues in our K-20 schools,” CAM Founder Adam Beren told the committee.

Taking a proactive measure

“While antisemitism is thankfully not as pervasive like in other states, passage of HB 2299 will demonstrate that Kansas legislators are taking a proactive measure. It also sends a message in Kansas and to the rest of the country of our commitment to combating hatred in all forms, while ensuring the safety and dignity of its Jewish community. Every student, faculty, and staff member deserves to feel safe, respected, and valued at any educational institution.”

Robert Metz, a recent University of Kansas graduate, also spoke to the committee and shared his experience with on-campus antisemitism in the wake of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks in southern Israel.

Metz and his roommates faced a number of incidents targeting them, including online threats for displaying an Israeli flag, CAM noted. Additionally, anti-Israel protesters disrupted a talk by an October 7 massacre survivor from Kibbutz Re’im at the University of Kansas.

“These are but a glimpse of the many stories of Jewish and non-Jewish students who were victims of the lawless fearmongering that has occurred since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on college campuses,” Metz told the committee.

“As the University of Kansas has struggled to protect the emotional and physical well-being of students, faculty, and staff, it is evermore important that this esteemed institution [the Kansas State Legislature] brings accountability and decorum to public education.

HB 2299 empowers the Attorney General to investigate acts of discrimination, providing a means of legal action for victims. I trust that this committee will ensure that the great state of Kansas will not tolerate hate, fear, and intimidation in its classrooms and campuses.”

Kansas State Senate Bill 164 is the state senate companion version of HB2299.

Zvika Klein contributed to this report.