WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

S 4576

Jewish American Security Act

119th Congress Introduced by James Lankford and 7 co-sponsors

The act establishes a comprehensive federal approach to counter antisemitism by expanding education and civil rights protections, boosting security funding, and increasing online p

Introduced in Senate
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · S 4576

Overview

S. 4576, the Jewish American Security Act, introduced in the 119th Congress on May 19, 2026, aims to strengthen federal efforts to counter antisemitism in the United States and protect Jewish communities. The bill expands reporting, coordination, training, and monitoring across multiple federal departments, with a focus on education, civil rights enforcement, security funding, threat assessments, and online platform transparency.

Main purpose and intent

  • Elevate national, state, and local responses to antisemitism through a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach.
  • Improve data collection, reporting, and accountability related to antisemitic incidents and discrimination.
  • Enhance safety and security for Jewish students, houses of worship, and Jewish communities.
  • Increase transparency and oversight of online platforms’ handling of antisemitic content.
  • Produce domestic and transnational threat assessments focusing on antisemitic extremism.

Key provisions and changes

1) Policy and findings (Sec. 2–3)
- Reiterates the seriousness of antisemitism, including conspiracy theories, antisemitic rhetoric tied to Israel, Holocaust denial, and rising hate crime data.
- Cites FBI hate crime trends, ADL incident data, and recent high-profile antisemitic threats and attacks.
- Initiates a policy to educate the public about Jewish history, Holocaust education, and to coordinate across government, industry, civil society, and communities.

2) Protecting Jewish students (Sec. 4)
- Education Department requirements to counter antisemitism under Title VI (Civil Rights Act of 1964).
- Creates a Title VI Awareness Campaign and written reminders to recipients about anti-discrimination duties.
- Establishes an “antisemitism coordinator” within the Department of Education to lead efforts, issue guidance, oversee training, and monitor complaints.
- Requires designation of a Title VI coordinator at each recipient, annual training, nondiscrimination policies, and a formal grievance process with transparency obligations (posting policies, annual notices, and 7-year recordkeeping).
- Establishes a Title VI Clearinghouse for best practices on safety, security, and dialogue to be housed within the DOE, with reporting to Congress about its creation and progress.

3) Securing Jewish communities (Sec. 5)
- Expands the Nonprofit Security Grant Program under the Homeland Security Act.
- Increases dedicated funding set-asides for nonprofit security (from 5% to 10% in relevant subsections) and lengthens funding authorization, with annual appropriations through 2031.
- Adds a new emphasis on personnel and resources for program administration, including streamlined grant processes, security personnel costs (based on risk assessments), and reporting on staffing levels and compliance.
- Requires pre-award congressional notification of grants and ongoing public reporting of funding opportunities and outcomes.
- Defines permissible uses of grant funds (security personnel, grant management, procurement, audits) and prohibits discrimination in grant administration.
- Requires annual updates to eligible equipment lists and public posting of reviews.
- Requires a higher level of coordination with states to ensure timely reimbursement processing.

4) Police and security collaboration (Sec. 5(b))
- Requires the Attorney General to collaborate with state/local law enforcement to bolster security at at-risk religious institutions and address increases in religion-based hate crimes.
- Authorizes grants to state/local agencies for security presence, patrols, training, and additional assistance (fiscal years 2027–2031).

5) Threat assessments (Sec. 5(c))
- Mandates joint annual domestic threat assessments on antisemitic violent domestic extremism ( FBI, DHS, NCTC ) for up to 10 years, including online/operational aspects, origins, and domestic threat levels.
- Requires dissemination to Congress and a publicly available declassified version; excludes PII.

6) Documenting online antisemitism (Sec. 6)
- Establishes online platform transparency reports for content moderation related to antisemitism, due every 180 days.
- Reports must cover safety mechanisms, moderation processes, law enforcement communications, policy changes, antisemitic content metrics, account suspensions/removals, engagement metrics, and algorithmic amplification.
- FCC/FTC-like enforcement framework: treated as unfair or deceptive acts/practices; FTC-like enforcement powers, with regulatory rulemaking authority.
- Defines “online platform” as large-scale user-driven platforms (50M+ U.S. monthly users) under FTC jurisdiction.
- Requires the Commerce Department to report annually on online antisemitic content linked to offline violence and provide policy recommendations.

7) Reporting and accountability (Sec. 6(b))
- Commerce Department reports on online antisemitism trends and policy options to multiple congressional committees.

Who and what would be affected

  • Education programs and recipients receiving federal Title VI funding (colleges, universities, K–12 schools, and other教育programs) would face enhanced compliance, training, and reporting requirements.
  • School administrators, Title VI coordinators, and student/employee populations at recipient institutions are directly affected by training, grievance procedures, and complaint tracking.
  • Nonprofit organizations seeking Homeland Security nonprofit security grants would be subject to increased funding mechanics, reporting, and oversight.
  • Law enforcement at the federal, state, and local levels could receive grants and guidance to improve security at houses of worship and other at-risk sites.
  • Online platforms under FTC jurisdiction would face new transparency reporting requirements and potential enforcement actions for antisemitism-related content management.
  • Federal agencies would produce joint threat assessments and share findings with Congress, impacting national security and homeland security policy discussions.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Short title: Jewish American Security Act.
  • DOE Title VI and clearinghouse-related provisions would commence upon enactment, with trainings started within 90 days and annual reporting for five years.
  • Nonprofit security grants: funding level adjustments and program enhancements would apply for fiscal years 2027–2031, with annual reporting on personnel and program use.
  • Threat assessments: joint domestic and transnational antisemitic threat assessments to be produced annually for up to 10 years, starting within months after enactment.
  • Online transparency: platform reports due starting one year after enactment and every 180 days thereafter.

Summary

The Jewish American Security Act seeks a comprehensive, cross-cutting federal response to antisemitism, combining education, civil rights enforcement, security funding, threat intelligence, and online platform accountability. It expands Title VI protections in schools, creates an antisemitism coordination framework within the DOE, increases nonprofit security grants with enhanced oversight, mandates regular threat assessments, and imposes new transparency requirements on online platforms to monitor and curb antisemitic content and its real-world effects.

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

Sign in to ask a question.