Committee advances SJR 55 to address antisemitism at public universities after heated testimony

The Kentucky House Standing Committee on Postsecondary Education voted to advance Senate Joint Resolution 55, a resolution addressing antisemitism on postsecondary campuses, after more than an hour of testimony and public comment that included sharply divided views on free speech, campus safety and the use of particular definitions of antisemitism.

Senator Lindsey Tichenor, sponsor of SJR 55, told the committee the measure responds to a surge in reported antisemitic incidents that followed the October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel. "This resolution is in response to that," Tichenor said, describing provisions intended to make Jewish students aware of their civil-rights protections, campus complaint options and community resources, and to require universities to disband and report student organizations that provide material support to designated terrorist organizations.

Key provisions in the resolution would ask campuses at the start of each semester to notify students of their rights under Title VI of the…