COLUMBIA Act of 2025

Bill: 119-hr-1033
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Torres, Ritchie [D-NY-15]
Introduced: 2025-02-05
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Congressional oversight

Government information and archives

Higher education

Racial and ethnic relations

Religion
Latest action: action_date: 2025-02-05
text: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-02-05
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>College Oversight and Legal Updates Mandating Bias Investigations and Accountability Act of 2025 or the COLUMBIA Act of 2025</strong></p><p>This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to establish a program to appoint third-party anti-Semitism monitors at certain institutions of higher education (IHEs). Specifically, ED must establish this program to appoint a monitor at an IHE that (1) has a high incidence of anti-Semitic activity (based on data received from ED's Office for Civil Rights), and (2) receives federal funds for higher education.&nbsp;</p><p>ED must develop an anti-Semitism monitorship agreement that (1) designates the terms and conditions of the monitorship, and (2) requires the&nbsp;IHE to provide for the monitor's reasonable expenses.&nbsp;</p><p>The bill requires the monitor to</p><ul><li>operate under the monitorship agreement developed by ED and entered into with the IHE;&nbsp;</li><li>provide publicly available quarterly reports that evaluate the IHE's progress in combating&nbsp;anti-Semitism on campus; and</li><li>provide annual reports to Congress, ED, state and local governments (as needed), and the IHE that include recommendations for actions, policies, and sanctions to prevent and reduce anti-Semitism at the IHE.</li></ul>

tv_txt: I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1033 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 5, 2025 Mr. Torres of New York (for himself and Mr. Lawler ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce A BILL To require the Secretary of Education to establish a program to provide for antisemitism monitors at institutions of higher education.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the College Oversight and Legal Updates Mandating Bias Investigations and Accountability Act of 2025 or the COLUMBIA Act of 2025 . 2. Antisemitism monitors (a) Authority Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education shall establish a program to appoint independent, third-party, antisemitism monitors to monitor institutions of higher education that the Secretary has determined, based on data received from the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education, have a high incidence of antisemitic activity and that receive funds under the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq. ). The Secretary shall develop an antisemitism monitorship agreement, to be entered into by an antisemitism monitor and an institution of higher education, that designates the terms and conditions of the monitorship and that requires the institution of higher education to provide for the reasonable expenses of the antisemitism monitor. (b) Duties of antisemitism monitor An antisemitism monitor appointed to an institution of higher education by the Secretary of Education shall— (1) operate under the antisemitism monitorship agreement developed by the Secretary and entered into with the institution of higher education; (2) provide quarterly reports, which shall be made publicly available and posted on the website of the institution of higher education and the Department of Education, evaluating the progress that the institution has made toward combating antisemitism on campus; and (3) provide an annual report to Congress, the Secretary of Education, State and local governments, as needed, and the institution of higher education, that includes recommendations of actions, policies, and sanctions, as appropriate, to prevent and reduce antisemitism at the institution. (c) Definition of institution of higher education In this section, the term institution of higher education has the meaning given such term in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1002 ).