Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

PRINTER'S NO.   75
                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
                         SENATE BILL
                         No. 126
                                                Session of
                                                  2025
     INTRODUCED BY MASTRIANO, ROTHMAN, FONTANA, PENNYCUICK, PHILLIPS-
        HILL, COSTA, ARGALL, J. WARD AND BROWN, JANUARY 22, 2025
     REFERRED TO EDUCATION, JANUARY 22, 2025
                                     AN ACT
 Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
    act relating to the public school system, including certain
    provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
    schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
    laws relating thereto," in preliminary provisions, providing
    for special provisions applicable to 2025-2026 school year.
    The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 hereby enacts as follows:
    Section 1.    The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
 as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding a
 section to read:
    Section 135.     Special Provisions Applicable to 2025-2026
 School Year.--(a)    Any university located in this Commonwealth
 which authorizes, facilitates, provides for or otherwise
 supports any event promoting antisemitism on the university
 campus may not receive any source of funding from the
 Commonwealth for the academic school year in which the
 antisemitic event under this section occurs.
    (b)   A university which has received any source of funding
 prior to the date on which the university authorized,
 facilitated, provided for or otherwise supported an event under
 subsection (a) shall refund the Commonwealth the amount of
 funding received from the Commonwealth for the academic school
 year in which the event under subsection (a) occurred.
    (c)   Violations of this section shall be reported to the
 State Board of Education. The State Board of Education shall
 schedule a hearing within thirty (30) days to evaluate the
 alleged violations of this section. Pending a majority vote by
 the State Board of Education, the university shall be subject to
 the funding penalties outlined in this section.
    (d)   As used in this section, the following words and phrases
 shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection unless
 the context clearly indicates otherwise:
    "Antisemitism."   A certain perception of Jewish individuals,
 which may be expressed as hatred toward Jewish individuals,
 including rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism
 that are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals or
 their property, Jewish community institutions and religious
 facilities. The term includes the following:
    (1)   Calling for, aiding or justifying the killing or harming
 of Jewish individuals in the name of a radical ideology or an
 extremist view of religion.
    (2)   Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing or
 stereotypical allegations about Jewish individuals as such or
 the power of people of Jewish faith as a collective, including
 the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jewish
 individuals controlling the media, economy, government or other
 societal institutions.
    (3)   Accusing Jewish individuals as a people of being
 responsible for real or imagined wrongdoing committed by a
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 single Jewish individual or group or for acts committed by non-
 Jewish individuals.
       (4)    Denying the fact, scope, mechanisms or intentionality of
 the genocide of the Jewish people at the hands of National
 Socialist Germany, supporters and accomplices during World War
 II.
       (5)    Accusing people of Jewish faith, or Israel as a state,
 of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust.
       (6)    Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel,
 or to the alleged priorities of Jewish individuals worldwide,
 than to the interests of the individuals' nation.
       (7)    Denying the Jewish people the right to self-
 determination, including by claiming the existence of a state of
 Israel is a racist endeavor.
       (8)    Applying a double standard by requiring a behavior not
 expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.
       (9)    Using the symbols and images associated with classic
 antisemitism, including claims of Jewish individuals killing
 Jesus or blood libel to characterize Israel or Israelis.
       (10)    Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to
 that of the Nazis.
       (11)    Calling for the extermination of a Jewish state.
       (12)    Holding people of Jewish faith collectively responsible
 for actions of the state of Israel.
       "Funding."    The term shall include:
       (1)    Budget allocation.
       (2)    Commonwealth grants received by the university.
       "University."    As defined in 24 Pa.C.S. § 6503.1(f) (relating
 to change of designation to university).
       Section 2.    This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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Statutes/Laws affected: 
Printer's No. 0075: P.L.30, No.14