Two bills that would solidify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism into Oklahoma state law and educational policies passed in the state’s Senate committees in Oklahoma City on Tuesday.
The first bill, Senate Bill 942, was initiated by Oklahoma Republican Senator Kristen Thompson. SB 942 requires Oklahoma K-12 schools and institutes of higher education to include the International IHRA definition of antisemitism in their codes of conduct for students, faculty, and staff.
It, and the other bill, SB 991, were backed by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), an international network of 850 groups dedicated to combating antisemitism.
CAM noted that SB 942 strengthens Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by requiring Oklahoma’s Department of Education and the state’s Regents for Higher Education to monitor and investigate antisemitic discrimination in schools.
Senate Bill 991, also introduced by Senator Thompson, builds off a January 2022 proclamation issued by Governor Kevin Stitt adopting the IHRA antisemitism definition by formally incorporating it into Oklahoma state law.
Support and concern over the bill
The Senate Judiciary Committee passed SB 991 by a 7-0 vote. The Senate Education Committee passed SB 942 by a 7-3 vote.
The vote on SB 942 broke along party lines with all the Republicans voting in favor and all three Democratic state senators—Mark Mann, Jo Anna Dossett, and Carri Hicks—voting against.
The Oklahoma conservative think tank, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA), reported that Hicks voiced concern that the bill could result in absurd outcomes.
“When I see this language about ‘all students equally,’ are we going to be handing out insulin pumps to all students equally, or will that be determined on their disability?” Hicks reportedly asked.
The phrase “all students equally” appears in Section 1, Subsection E of the bill.
The subsection states, “Guidance, counseling, and financial assistance services in institutions of higher education and public schools shall be available to all students equally and provided in the same manner regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, disability, religion, or marital status.”
In response to Hicks’s query, OCPA quoted Thompson as replying that, “We would not give insulin to a child who does not need insulin,” adding that SB 942 would have outcomes that benefit all Oklahoma students.
CAM Founder Adam Beren testified in support of SB 942 at the Tuesday hearing, saying, “While antisemitism is thankfully not as pervasive here like in other states, passage of SB 942 will demonstrate that legislators in Oklahoma are taking a proactive measure. The bill also sends a message in Oklahoma and to the rest of the country of your commitment to combating hatred in all forms while ensuring the safety and dignity of the Jewish community.”
CAM CEO Sacha Rotyman also attended the hearing while on a visit to the US from Israel.
“I want to thank you for your support, both the support the state of Oklahoma gives to Israel and also for protecting the Jewish community you have in your state,” Roytman said.
“This is a really good opportunity for Oklahoma to be proactive and say we’re not going to allow antisemitism or discrimination of any kind in our institutions of public education,” the OCPA quoted Thompson as saying.