EDITORIAL: Antisemitism bill deserves support in Carson City

The 83rd session of the Legislature is winding down, with adjournment fewer than four weeks away. Expect clashes between the Democratic majority and Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo to escalate as the June 6 deadline nears.

But there are a handful of bills that have survived this far on which there should be widespread and bipartisan agreement. Senate Bill 179 fits that description and deserves quick passage.

Under Nevada’s anti-discrimination statutes, the Nevada Equal Rights Commission has the authority to probe discrimination complaints regarding employment, housing or public accommodation based on race, color, creed, sex, age, disability, gender identity or expression, and national origin or ancestry. SB179, sponsored by Republican and Democratic lawmakers in both the Assembly and the Senate, would expand that to include antisemitism.

The state Senate passed the bill last month by a vote of 20-1. The lone “no” vote was state Sen. Ira Hansen, a Sparks Republican. He argued that the bill is redundant because such protections already exist in state law. But SB179 is useful because it explicitly offers another tool to attack targeted discrimination and hate directed at the Jewish community.

“Defining antisemitism within state law ensures that discrimination against Jewish Nevadans is neither overlooked nor dismissed,” Andrew Marks of the Nevada Education Association told a Senate committee in support of the proposal. “This bill is not about special treatment. It is about ensuring antisemitism is recognized and addressed as seriously as any other form of discrimination.”

About 30 states have adopted similar legislation in recent years, according to PBS News, with the number increasing in the wake of the barbaric Oct. 7 attack in Israel, numerous anti-Israeli protests on U.S. college campuses and a dangerous uptick in antisemitic incidents in general.

It’s important that such statutes and their enforcement respect the First Amendment and other rights. But the courts have long recognized the constitutionality of civil rights laws that attempt to eradicate discrimination in the job market, housing and other matters of public accommodation. SB179 simply applies the protections guaranteed to other groups — religious and otherwise — to those of the Jewish faith.

The Assembly Government Affairs Committee will hear the legislation on Tuesday. Scores of bills will be pushed aside as the session draws to a close, victims of partisan disputes, financial constraints or indifference. SB179 should not be one of them. The committee should advance this legislation to the full Assembly, which should pass the bill and forward it to Gov. Lombardo for his signature.