For the second time in two weeks, a state legislative committee has advanced legislation designed to target acts of antisemitism.

However, the bill that passed out of a state House committee enjoyed bipartisan support, in sharp contrast to a similar measure that passed out of an Oklahoma Senate committee last week, which drew united opposition from Democratic lawmakers.

House Bill 1218, by state Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, requires Oklahoma state agencies to consider whether an alleged act of discrimination was the result of antisemitism, “including intentionally selecting any victim or group of victims or any property as the object of the offense because of such victim’s or group of victims’ actual or perceived race, color, religion, or national origin.”

The legislation declares that antisemitism, “including harassment on the basis of actual or perceived Jewish origin, ancestry, ethnicity, identity, affiliation, or faith, remains a persistent, pervasive, and disturbing problem in contemporary American society,” and that Jewish people “continue to be a targeted minority in the United States.”

The bill notes that data shows Jews “are consistently the most likely of all religious groups to be victimized by incidents of hate, and that such incidents are increasing at an alarming rate.”

HB 1218 incorporates the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of antisemitism into state law.

West noted that he and two other House lawmakers filed similar legislation this year, and HB 1218 now represents a combination of all three bills. State Reps. John Waldron, D-Tulsa, and Suzanne Schrieber, D-Tulsa, were the other two lawmakers who filed similar bills.

HB 1218 passed the House General Government Committee on a 6-0 vote with bipartisan support.

That was in stark contrast to a recent vote in a Senate committee.

Senate Bill 942, by state Sen. Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond, states, “Discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, disability, religion, or marital status against a student or an employee in an institution of higher education or a public school in this state shall be prohibited.”

The bill requires Oklahoma universities and public schools to integrate the definition of antisemitism, as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, into student, faculty, and employee codes of conduct. SB 942 also requires colleges and K-12 schools to treat antisemitic discrimination “in an identical manner to discrimination motivated by race.”

The legislation further requires the State Department of Education to designate a Title VI coordinator dedicated to monitoring antisemitic discrimination and harassment in public schools in Oklahoma.

SB 942 passed the Senate Education Committee on a 7-3 vote that broke along party lines with only Republicans in support and Democrats united in opposition.