Sponsored by:
Senator ROBERT W. SINGER
District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)
Senator MICHAEL L. TESTA, JR.
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senators Schepisi and Amato
SYNOPSIS
Permits Secretary of Higher Education to appoint antisemitism monitor to any institution of higher education; requires institution to implement recommendations of antisemitism monitor.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning antisemitism at institutions of higher education and supplementing Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Secretary of Higher Education may, at the secretary's discretion, appoint an antisemitism monitor to any institution of higher education in the State. An antisemitism monitor of an institution of higher education shall be responsible for:
(1) reviewing institution policies related to combatting antisemitism and protecting Jewish students and staff, and how those policies are implemented and enforced;
(2) reviewing the efforts of the institution in developing a safe academic environment for Jewish students and staff; and
(3) establishing a procedure for members of the campus community to report an incident of antisemitism, including information, as applicable, on the institution's response to the incident. The monitor shall permit the submission of anonymous reports.
b. An antisemitism monitor shall issue quarterly progress reports to the secretary and the governing board of the institution, or on a schedule determined by the secretary. The progress report shall detail the monitor's findings and include:
(1) recommendations to the institution towards ensuring a safe academic environment for all students and staff in which antisemitism is not tolerated; and
(2) recommendations to the Legislature, including any proposed legislation which the monitor may desire to recommend for enactment, for the systemic improvement of the institution's response to incidents of antisemitism.
c. An institution shall implement the recommendations submitted to the institution pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection b. of this section.
d. The salary of an antisemitism monitor shall be fixed by the secretary and may be adjusted from time to time as the secretary deems appropriate. The institution shall assume the total cost of the State monitor. An institution of higher education shall provide support and access to the monitor as may be necessary for the monitor to fulfill the responsibilities of the position.
e. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the failure of an institution to comply with the provisions of this section may, at the recommendation of the secretary, result in:
(1) a reduction or total withdrawal of State support for operational and capital costs of the institution; or
(2) the loss of eligibility for students enrolled at the institution in student assistance programs administered by the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority.
f. As used in this act, "antisemitism" means the same as the term defined in the working definition of antisemitism adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance on May 26, 2016.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill authorizes the Secretary of Higher Education to appoint, at the secretary's discretion, an antisemitism monitor to any institution of higher education in the State. Under the bill, the responsibilities of the antisemitism monitor include:
(1) reviewing institution policies related to combatting antisemitism and protecting Jewish students and staff, and how those policies are implemented and enforced;
(2) reviewing the efforts of the institution in developing a safe academic environment for Jewish students and staff; and
(3) establishing a procedure for members of the campus community to report an incident of antisemitism, including information, as applicable, on the institution's response to the incident. The monitor is to permit the submission of anonymous reports.
The bill directs an antisemitism monitor to issue quarterly progress reports to the secretary and the governing board of the institution, or on a schedule determined by the secretary. The progress report shall detail the monitor's findings and include:
(1) recommendations to the institution; and
(2) recommendations to the Legislature.
The bill also requires the institution to implement the recommendations of the antisemitism monitor.
The bill directs the salary of an antisemitism monitor to be fixed by the secretary and paid by the institution. The bill requires an institution of higher education to provide the support and access to the monitor as may be necessary for the monitor to fulfill the responsibilities of the position.
Under the bill, the failure of an institution to comply with the bill's provisions may, at the recommendation of the secretary, result in:
(a) a reduction or total withdrawal of State support for operational and capital costs of the institution; or
(b) the loss of eligibility for students enrolled at the institution in student assistance programs administered by the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority.