Define to Defeat Act of 2024

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7945 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7945

To provide a definition of antisemitism for the enforcement of covered 
                           civil rights laws.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 11, 2024

   Mr. D'Esposito (for himself, Mr. Lawler, Mr. Fleischmann, and Ms. 
   Tenney) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
   Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on 
 Oversight and Accountability, and Education and the Workforce, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide a definition of antisemitism for the enforcement of covered 
                           civil rights laws.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Define to Defeat Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The May 26, 2016, International Holocaust Remembrance 
        Alliance definition of antisemitism is objective and clear, and 
        the use of alternative definitions of antisemitism, including 
        instead of or in addition to the IHRA definition, impairs 
        enforcement efforts by adding multiple standards that leave 
        room for subjective application and may fail to identify some 
        of the most insidious modern manifestations of anti-Jewish 
        hate.
            (2) Antisemitism, including harassment on the basis of 
        actual or perceived Jewish origin, ancestry, ethnicity, 
        identity, affiliation, or faith, or connection thereto, remains 
        a persistent, pervasive, and disturbing problem in contemporary 
        American society.
            (3) Jewish people continue to be a targeted minority in the 
        United States. Data shows, for instance, that Jews are 
        consistently the most likely of all religious groups to be 
        victimized by incidents of hate, and that such incidents are 
        increasing at an alarming rate.
            (4) United States officials and institutions have a 
        responsibility to protect citizens from acts of hate and 
        bigotry motivated by discriminatory animus, including 
        antisemitism, and must be given the tools to do so.
            (5) Valid monitoring, informed analysis and investigation, 
        and effective policymaking all require uniform definitions.
            (6) While there can be no exhaustive definition of 
        antisemitism, as it can take many forms, the International 
        Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition has been an 
        essential definitional tool used to determine contemporary 
        manifestations of antisemitism, and includes useful examples of 
        discriminatory anti-Israel acts that cross the line into 
        antisemitism.
            (7) The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance 
        definition is used by various agencies of the Federal 
        Government and the dozens of governments that are members of 
        International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. It is recommended 
        for use by the European Council and the European Parliament, 
        endorsed by the United Nations Secretary General and the 
        Secretary General of the Organization of American States, 
        included in policy guides prepared by the Organization for 
        Security and Cooperation in Europe, and formally adopted by a 
        growing number of European and Middle Eastern nations.
            (8) Use of this definition of antisemitism, although it is 
        not to be taken as an exhaustive definition, will increase the 
        awareness and understanding of the parameters of contemporary 
        anti-Jewish discrimination.

SEC. 3. INCLUSION OF MATERIAL RELATED TO ANTISEMITISM IN ANTI-
              DISCRIMINATION TRAINING.

     The head of each Federal department or agency shall include the 
definition of the term ``antisemitism'' under section 7 in any anti-
discrimination training and education materials or modules made 
available by the department or agency.

SEC. 4. INSTRUCTIONS TO THE JURY.

    In any Federal criminal or civil action before a jury that involves 
antisemitism, the court shall include the definition of the term 
``antisemitism'' in the instructions to the jury.

SEC. 5. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION FOR COVERED CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS.

    In reviewing, investigating, or deciding whether there has been a 
violation of a covered civil rights law on the basis of race, religion, 
color, ethnicity, or national origin, based on an individual's actual 
or perceived connection to an aspect of Jewish identity, each Federal 
department and agency conducting such review or investigation or making 
such decision shall take into consideration whether the potential 
violation was motivated, in whole or in part, by antisemitism.

SEC. 6. ADDITIONAL RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.

    (a) General Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this Act may be 
construed--
            (1) to expand the authority of the head of any Federal 
        department or agency to enforce or implement a covered civil 
        rights law;
            (2) to alter the standards pursuant to which the head of a 
        Federal department or agency makes a determination that conduct 
        constitutes a violation of a covered civil rights law; or
            (3) to diminish or infringe upon the rights protected under 
        any other provision of law that is in effect on the date of 
        enactment of this Act.
    (b) Constitutional Protections.--Nothing in this Act may be 
construed to diminish or infringe upon any right protected under the 
First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) The term ``antisemitism'' has the meaning given such 
        term by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance on May 
        26, 2016, and includes the examples of antisemitism set forth 
        therein.
            (2) The term ``covered civil rights law'' means any of the 
        following:
                    (A) Title I of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 
                U.S.C. 10301 et seq.).
                    (B) Title II, title III, title IV, title VI, or 
                title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 
                2000a et seq.).
                    (C) Section 1977 of the Revised Statutes (42 U.S. 
                Code 1981).
                    (D) The Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974 
                (20 U.S.C. 1701-1758).
                    (E) Section 249 of title 18, United States Code.
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