H.R. 6806 — Antisemitism Response and Prevention Act of 2025

This section states congressional findings on (1) the rise in antisemitic incidents to 1,938 in 2024 (a 73% increase from 2022), with Jews—2% of the U.S. population—accounting for 69% of religion-based hate crimes; (2) a 360-388% increase in such incidents from October 7, 2023, to January 7, 2024; (3) deteriorated campus climates for Jewish students; (4) the May 2023 National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism; and (5) Trump Administration actions, including investigations of 60 higher education institutions, use of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition in immigration enforcement, deportations tied to pro-Palestinian activism, conditions on nonprofit security grants, and implementation of Project Esther recommendations.

This section declares it to be the policy of the United States (1) to raise awareness and educate the public about the history of Jewish Americans and antisemitism; (2) to oppose antisemitism using all available authorities; (3) not to use the fight against antisemitism to pursue ulterior political agendas, including attacks on educational institutions, suppression of protected speech, or enforcement of ideological conformity; (4) to develop federal antisemitism policies with input from diverse Jewish communities and consistent with democratic values; (5) to address antisemitism in connection with other hatreds through coalition-building and prevention; and (6) to protect educational institutions' autonomy and academic freedom while enforcing civil rights against discrimination and harassment. The section also expresses the sense of Congress that (1) non-legally binding definitions of antisemitism, including the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition, Nexus Document, and others, are valuable educational tools for federal, state, and local agencies; (2) such definitions should not be used in punitive legal contexts like immigration enforcement or criminal prosecutions; (3) criticism of Israeli government policies, absent antisemitic tropes or discrimination against Jews, is protected First Amendment speech and not antisemitism; (4) combating antisemitism requires protecting democratic institutions, civil liberties, academic freedom, and rights of all communities; and (5) weaponizing antisemitism accusations for partisan agendas undermines efforts to protect Jewish communities and breeds more antisemitism.

This section requires institutions of higher education, as a condition of eligibility to participate in federal student aid programs under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, to designate at least one employee as a title VI coordinator (i.e., to coordinate compliance with title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in federally funded programs) and to carry out the following duties: (1) investigate complaints alleging title VI noncompliance or prohibited actions; (2) conduct an annual public awareness campaign on title VI (provided physically and digitally in high-traffic areas to students, faculty, and staff, with appealing visual/auditory elements and maximum accessibility, directly or via contract with a nonprofit); (3) submit an annual unredacted report to the Secretary on complaints and campaign efforts and post a public redacted version (redacting names, contact information, or identifying details of victims or minors) on the institution's website; (4) provide annual notice to students, faculty, and staff of the coordinator's contact information, the public report, title VI enforcement policies, and complaint reporting/investigation procedures; and (5) distinguish title VI-prohibited discrimination or harassment from First Amendment-protected political expression. This section states that the amendment does not require institutions to restrict constitutionally protected speech, academic inquiry, or enforce ideological conformity.

This section authorizes $280 million annually for FY2027 through 2032 for the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the Department of Education, established under 20 U.S.C. 3413 to enforce civil rights laws (i.e., investigate discrimination complaints against schools, universities, and other recipients of federal education funds). The section further requires the Secretary of Education, beginning 180 days after enactment and every 90 days thereafter, to certify that (1) all OCR regional offices closed, consolidated, or transferred after January 20, 2025, and before enactment have been reopened with adequate staffing to handle civil rights complaints and provide technical assistance to higher education institutions; and (2) no such offices have been closed, consolidated, or transferred after enactment. If the Secretary fails to issue a required certification, the Secretary must report to specified congressional committees within 30 days identifying any unreopened offices and justifying the failure. Additionally, for one year beginning 90 days after enactment, the Assistant Secretary for OCR must provide Congress monthly briefings—preceded by 48-hour written reports—detailing Title VI complaints received (disaggregated by race, color, or national origin), actions taken or planned, open investigations, and complaint processing times. Finally, the section prohibits transferring, closing, or consolidating OCR without new statutory authorization enacted after this Act.

This section directs the Attorney General to establish, within 180 days of enactment, the Office of the National Coordinator to Counter Antisemitism within the Department of Justice, headed by a National Coordinator appointed by the Attorney General to a four-year term (eligible for reappointment). The Coordinator—who is not a political appointee (i.e., not in the Executive Schedule, noncareer Senior Executive Service, Schedule C, or excepted confidential/policy positions), serves without other duties, and may hire non-political personnel—shall (1) advise the Attorney General on countering domestic antisemitism; (2) coordinate federal efforts, including multi-year implementation of the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism; (3) ensure such efforts are evidence-based, consistent with democratic values, and informed by diverse Jewish communities; (4) conduct a biennial review of federal antisemitism efforts for 10 years, evaluating effectiveness and recommending changes; (5) review agency antisemitism training and resources; (6) coordinate with community organizations, civil rights groups, and Jewish institutions; and (7) align antisemitism prevention with broader programs addressing extremism, hate crimes, and conspiracy theories.

This section establishes the Hate Crime Reporting Center (HCRC) within the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Civil Rights Unit to record, track, index, report, and publish data on hate crimes committed in the United States. (As background, the Hate Crime Statistics Act requires the Attorney General to acquire and publish annual summaries of data on crimes manifesting prejudice based on race, gender and gender identity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity.) The HCRC is headed by a Coordinator of Hate Crimes Reporting—appointed by the FBI Director for a six-year term from persons with substantial experience in monitoring and combating hate crimes, removable only for cause, and free from direction by anyone other than the Attorney General and FBI Director—who serves as principal advisor on hate crime reporting, coordinates federal data-gathering efforts, and ensures comprehensive, accurate, and publicly accessible data; the Coordinator appoints dedicated non-political staff. To carry out its mission, the HCRC must (1) conduct a national public awareness campaign to encourage reporting (including through multilingual materials, media, and partnerships with nonprofits and community organizations); (2) monitor media and online platforms; (3) partner with national community organizations; and (4) receive and independently analyze data from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program. This section authorizes $50 million annually for FY2027 through FY2032 (no prior authorization specified for this new center); requires annual public publication of recorded hate crimes by state and targeted class starting one year after enactment; and directs the FBI Director, in consultation with the Coordinator, to submit quarterly reports to Congress on recorded hate crimes starting 180 days after enactment.

This section revises the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), which provides grants to at-risk 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, funneled through states, for target hardening and other security enhancements against terrorist attacks or other threats, as follows: (1) Revises subsection (d) to retitle it "Duties and prohibitions," retain the existing period of performance requirement, require the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator to ensure sufficient personnel and resources for program implementation, and prohibit the Administrator or states from conditioning grants on recipients' policies or practices related to diversity, equity, and inclusion; immigration; security other than physical security; political position or affiliation; political advocacy; or protected status or characteristic. (2) Revises annual reporting requirements under subsection (e), extending the deadline from 2030 (for fiscal year 2028 activities) to 2034 (for fiscal year 2032 activities), requiring recipient-specific details (name, grant amount, and expenditures excluding state retention), and adding statistics on denied applicants, grants awarded, grant amount ranges, and average grant amounts. (3) Increases and extends authorizations of appropriations under subsection (i) to $500 million annually for FY2027 through FY2032 (from $360 million for FY2027 through FY2028) while retaining $360 million annually for FY2023 through FY2026, and adjusts a related provision from FY2028 to FY2026. (4) Directs the FEMA Administrator to conduct a public awareness campaign promoting the NSGP, including targeted outreach and technical assistance to at-risk communities (e.g., Jewish communities, religious minorities, and others vulnerable to hate crimes); multilingual materials; informational sessions; partnerships with community organizations; and multi-platform messaging, with $25 million authorized annually for FY2027 through FY2032.

This section requires the Attorney General, in coordination with specified officials, to submit two reports to designated congressional committees, both unclassified with a possible classified annex and beginning 180 days after enactment: (1) an annual report on the propagation of extremist ideologies in public institutions and law enforcement organizations, including prisons and law enforcement units, to the House and Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees (and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee); and (2) a report every 90 days assessing the scope of the domestic terrorism threat in the United States and actions taken to combat it, to the House and Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees (and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and Senate Select Committee on Intelligence).

This section defines three terms for purposes of the Act: (1) “antisemitism,” which has the meaning given that term in the third paragraph of page 13 of the United States National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism; (2) “relevant agency,” which means 32 specified federal entities and offices (e.g., Department of State, Department of Justice, Department of Education, Federal Bureau of Investigation); and (3) “United States National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism,” which refers to the White House document entitled “The U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism” published on May 25, 2023.