House Bill 937 passed in the Missouri House of Representatives on April 10, by a vote of 108 to 10. The bill creates protections against antisemitism and discrimination in public schools and colleges.
Another 25 legislators voted “present,” an action customarily used when a proposed law would constitute a conflict of interest. In this situation, it means the representative did not publicly support or oppose the bill.
Prior to the vote, floor debate included discussion about whether the bill would inhibit first amendment rights of freedom of speech. The question of whether criticism of Israel on college campuses equates to antisemitism was also raised in testimony about HB 937 during a Feb. 19 hearing before the Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee.
An op-ed published April 8 in the Columbia Missourian addressed this issue. The article was co-written by Danny Cohn, Jewish Federation of St. Louis president and CEO and Todd Siwak, federation board chair. Cohn and Siwak call claims about HB 937 curtailing free speech and criticism of Israel false. The bill, they said, prohibits creating disruption through fear, hate or physical intimidation.
The bill, Cohn and Siwak said, protects a Jewish student from intimidation or threats as the student is attempting to get to a class. The bill would not limit an individual’s right to say negative, false or hateful statements. In the article, Cohn and Siwak also compare this to the classic example of when free speech is not protected: When someone frivolously yells “fire” in a theater and causes a stampede that results in injury.
In recent weeks, Kentucky, Tennessee and Kansas passed similar bills prohibiting antisemitism. The bill in Kansas is awaiting the governor’s signature. If that bill becomes law, 40 states would have enacted such laws.
Now that HB 937 has passed in the house, the next part of the legislative process is for the senate pro tem to assign it to the senate calendar for evaluation in a general laws committee. It would then go through a similar process as it did in the house. If it passes through that committee and is passed on the senate floor, the final step is signature by the governor.
The final day of the 2025 Missouri legislative session is May 16.
