The South Dakota Legislative Committee passed a bill clarifying antisemitism as “an unfair or discriminatory practice.”
Rep. Fred Deustch, R-Florence, sponsored the bill. He said it will support people facing antisemitism.
“To be clear, this bill is entirely about conduct, about adverse or unequal treatments that are prohibited in state law,” Deutch said. “The bill makes it easier to fight discrimination because the plaintiff doesn’t have to show that the antisemitic act was motivated because of race or religion or national origin. They can simply show the act was antisemitic.”
Opponents of the bill claimed the definition of antisemitism used is vague. They also pointed to the need to include other marginalized groups to avoid inequity.
The committee voted eight to five to pass the bill to the floor.