,i #aadth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #fdba ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,december #a1 #bjaf,mr4 ,roskam 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,deutch1 ,mrs4 ,lowey1 ,ms4 ,ros-,lehtinen1 ,mr4 ,engel1 and ,mr4 ,israel7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,a ,,bill ,to provide for the consideration of a definition of anti-,semitism for the enforcement of ,federal antidiscrimination laws concerning education programs or activities4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,anti-,semitism ,awareness ,act of #bjaf4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,title ,,vi of the ,civil ,rights ,act of #aifd 7referred to in the section as title ,,vi7 is one of the principal antidiscrimination statutes enforced by the ,department of ,education's ,office for ,civil ,rights4 7#b7 ,title ,,vi prohibits discrimination on the basis of race1 color1 or national origin4 7#c7 ,both the ,department of ,justice and the ,department of ,education have properly concluded that title ,,vi prohibits discrimination against ,jews1 ,muslims1 ,sikhs1 and members of other religious groups when the discrimination is based on the group's actual or perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics or when the discrimination is based on actual or perceived citizenship or residence in a country whose residents share a dominant religion or a distinct religious identity4 7#d7 ,a ,september #h1 #bjaj1 letter from ,assistant ,attorney ,general ,thomas ,e4 ,perez to ,assistant ,secretary for ,civil ,rights ,russlynn ,h4 ,ali stated that although ,title ,,vi does not prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion1 discrimination against ,jews1 ,muslims1 ,sikhs1 and members of other groups violates ,title ,,vi when that discrimination is based on the group's actual or perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics4 7#e7 ,to assist ,state and local educational agencies and schools in their efforts to comply with ,federal law1 the ,department of ,education periodically issues ,dear ,colleague letters4 ,on a number of occasions1 these letters set forth the ,department of ,education's interpretation of the statutory and regulatory obligations of schools under title ,,vi4 7#f7 ,on ,september #ac1 #bjjd1 the ,department of ,education issued a ,dear ,colleague letter regarding the obligations of schools 7including colleges7 under title ,,vi to address incidents involving religious discrimination4 ,the #bjjd letter specifically notes that since the attacks of ,september #aa1 #bjja1 ,,ocr has received complaints of race or national origin harassment commingled with aspects of religious discrimination against ,arab ,muslim1 ,sikh1 and ,jewish students44 7#g7 ,an ,october #bf1 #bjaj1 ,dear ,colleague letter issued by the ,department of ,education stated1 ,while ,title ,,vi does not cover discrimination based solely on religion1 groups that face discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics may not be denied protection under ,title ,,vi on the ground that they also share a common faith4 ,these principles apply not just to ,jewish students1 but also to students from any discrete religious group that shares1 or is perceived to share1 ancestry or ethnic characteristics 7e4g41 ,muslims or ,sikhs744 7#h7 ,anti-,semitism remains a persistent1 disturbing problem in elementary and secondary schools and on college campuses4 7#i7 ,jewish students are being threatened1 harassed1 or intimidated in their schools 7including on their campuses7 on the basis of their shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics including through harassing conduct that creates a hostile environment so severe1 pervasive1 or persistent so as to interfere with or limit some students' ability to participate in or benefit from the services1 activities1 or opportunities offered by schools4 7#aj7 ,the #bjaj ,dear ,colleague letter cautioned schools that they must take prompt and effective steps reasonably calculated to end the harassment1 eliminate any hostile environment1 and its effects1 and prevent the harassment from recurring1 but did not provide guidance on current manifestation of anti-,semitism1 including discriminatory anti-,semitic conduct that is couched as anti-,israel or anti-,zionist4 7#aa7 ,the definition and examples referred to in paragraphs 7#a7 and 7#b7 of section #c have been valuable tools to help identify contemporary manifestations of anti-,semitism1 and include useful examples of discriminatory anti-,israel conduct that crosses the line into anti-,semitism4 7#ab7 ,awareness of this definition of anti-,semitism will increase understanding of the parameters of contemporary anti-,jewish conduct and will assist the ,department of ,education in determining whether an investigation of anti-,semitism under title ,,vi is warranted4 #c4 ,definitions ,for purposes of this ,act1 the term definition of anti-,semitism-- 7#a7 includes the definition of anti-,semitism set forth by the ,special ,envoy to ,monitor and ,combat ,anti-,semitism of the ,department of ,state in the ,fact ,sheet issued on ,june #h1 #bjaj1 as adapted from the ,working ,definition of ,anti-,semitism of the ,european ,monitoring ,center on ,racism and ,xenophobia 7now known as the ,european ,union ,agency for ,fundamental ,rights72 and 7#b7 includes the examples set forth under the headings ,contemporary ,examples of ,anti-,semitism and ,what is ,anti-,semitism ,relative to ,israel8 of the ,fact ,sheet4 #d4 ,rule of construction for title ,,vi of the ,civil ,rights ,act of #aifd ,in reviewing1 investigating1 or deciding whether there has been a violation of title ,,vi of the ,civil ,rights ,act of #aifd 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bjjj;d et seq47 on the basis of race1 color1 or national origin1 based on an individual's actual or perceived shared ,jewish ancestry or ,jewish ethnic characteristics1 the ,department of ,education shall take into consideration the definition of anti-,semitism as part of the ,department's assessment of whether the alleged practice was motivated by anti-,semitic intent4 #e4 ,constitutional protections ,nothing in this ,act1 or an amendment made by this ,act1 shall be construed to diminish or infringe upon any right protected under the ,first ,amendment to the ,constitution of the ,united ,states4