An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in preliminary provisions, providing for special provisions applicable to 2025-2026 school year.

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,
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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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