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HB 1363

Education; authorize public schools and postsecondary educational institutions to consider antisemitism in the same manner as discrimination based on religion

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by John Carson and 4 co-sponsors

HB 1363 lets Georgia public schools treat antisemitism as a form of religious discrimination, using existing policies, reporting, and remedies to address incidents.

House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
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Bill Summary · HB 1363

Summary of HB 1363 (Session 2025-26, Georgia)

Purpose and intent

HB 1363 authorizes public schools and postsecondary educational institutions in Georgia to consider antisemitism in the same way they consider discrimination based on religion. The bill is framed to allow educational institutions to address antisemitic incidents under protections and procedures already used for religious discrimination, integrating antisemitism into existing anti-discrimination policies, reporting, and response mechanisms.

Key provisions and changes

  • Scope and applicability

    • Applies to public K-12 schools, school systems, and public postsecondary institutions within Georgia.
    • Enables these entities to treat antisemitism as a form of discrimination on the basis of religion for purposes of policy enforcement.

  • Policy framework and remedies

    • Institutions may incorporate antisemitism into their nondiscrimination and anti-harassment policies.
    • Institutions can apply existing disciplinary, reporting, and supportive measures used for religious discrimination to incidents involving antisemitism.
    • May align antisemitism-related policies with state guidance on civil rights and harassment prevention, ensuring consistency with current anti-discrimination standards.

  • Reporting and compliance

    • Likely requires or authorizes the development or modification of incident reporting protocols to capture antisemitic incidents similarly to religious discrimination.
    • Encourages training, awareness, and reporting structures for staff, students, and administrators to identify and address antisemitic conduct.

  • Support for affected individuals

    • Provides pathways for reporting bias incidents, with attention to ensuring due process and appropriate remedies for students and staff who are targets.

  • Relation to existing protections

    • Builds on Georgia's existing anti-discrimination and civil rights framework by explicitly including antisemitism within the scope of protections afforded to religious groups.
    • Encourages consistency with federal and state civil rights standards when addressing antisemitic behavior in educational settings.

Who would be affected

  • Primary beneficiaries
    • Students, faculty, and staff in Georgia public schools and public colleges/universities who may encounter antisemitic conduct.
  • Institutions and administrators
    • School districts and postsecondary institutions responsible for enforcing anti-discrimination policies, maintaining incident reporting, and providing remedies.
  • Policy and compliance personnel
    • Officials tasked with aligning campus policies to protect religious groups, including the Jewish community, from discrimination and harassment.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Legislative status
    • Action history shows favorable report by substitute in the House Committee (2026-03-03), with prior readings in February 2026 and initial hopper action in February 2026.
  • Next steps
    • If advanced, the bill would proceed through further floor votes and potential reconciliation, following Georgia’s legislative process for education-related measures.

Observations

  • The bill focuses on codifying antisemitism as a discrimination concern equivalent to religion-based discrimination for educational institutions.
  • It emphasizes consistency with existing anti-discrimination policies, procedures, and remedies, leveraging established mechanisms to address incidents.
  • Specific statutory text (definitions, reporting timelines, disciplinary procedures) is not provided here; the summary reflects the stated intent and likely structural effects based on the bill’s title and description.

If you’d like, I can tailor this summary to emphasize potential impacts for students with particular needs, or map how this would interact with current Georgia Department of Education and university system policies.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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