Senate committee backs SJR55 asking Kentucky universities to adopt policies to combat antisemitism

Senate Joint Resolution 55, directing Kentucky public postsecondary governing boards to adopt policies to combat antisemitism and to take specified reporting and recognition steps, passed unanimously out of the Senate Education Committee after extended testimony from legislators and Jewish community leaders.

Sponsor Senator Tichenor described the resolution as a response to increased incidents after October 7, 2023, and said the measure requires governing boards of Kentucky public postsecondary institutions to adopt policies that include the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, notify students of Title VI protections and complaint paths, and identify Jewish student organizations as community resources on the same basis as other religious organizations. The resolution also asks institutions to collect and report antisemitism data to the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) and to take steps to defund or disband student organizations that provide resources to designated terrorist organizations, with reporting to law enforcement.

Multiple witnesses described campus incidents and cited rising national figures. Representative Daniel Grossberg and Robert (Shlomo) Litzman, chairman of the Kentucky Jewish Council and director of the Chabad Jewish Student Center at the University of Kentucky, described specific examples they said demonstrated a pattern of harassment, vandalism, threats, and troubling faculty social-media posts praising violence. Litzman said campus administrations in some cases did not acknowledge problems and cited incidents where Jewish student groups were not recognized at parity with other organizations.

Committee members asked about existing federal protections and enforcement. Sponsor and witnesses noted Title VI protections and existing state law (KRS 344.450) but argued the resolution is intended to prompt institutions to follow existing law and to provide clearer campus procedures and reporting that empower students to seek remedies. Senator Meredith and others said they were disappointed no university representatives testified in opposition or to explain campus policies in the hearing; some committee members indicated campuses represented in the room would report the action back to their administrations.

After discussion the committee adopted the committee substitute and voted to adopt the resolution (mover: Senator Wise; second: Senator Rawlings). The committee recorded unanimous favorable expression for SJR55.

The resolution is advisory to governing boards and directs reporting to CPE and interim legislative committees. Sponsors said it is intended to ensure Jewish students receive the same protections as other protected groups and to clarify institution obligations under federal civil-rights law.