(RNS) — Amid increasing attacks on U.S. Jews and institutions, two U.S. senators introduced a sweeping, bipartisan bill on Tuesday (May 19) aimed at combating antisemitism.

But the Jewish American Security Act, if passed, could also help other religious institutions. Its key provision is a $1 billion investment in security resources for the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which is open to all faiths. That program is currently funded at about $300 million annually.

On Monday, two teenagers shot and killed three people at the Islamic Center of San Diego, the largest mosque in San Diego County. That attack comes two months after a man rammed a pickup truck into Temple Israel, a Reform synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan. The assailant was killed and the building suffered extensive damage.

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Jewish organizations have been working for months on a bill that would tackle antisemitism, and on Tuesday, the Senate bill was formally introduced by Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev.

The bill would also require the U.S. Department of Education to develop new regulations to combat antisemitism in colleges and order social media companies to disclose their content moderation policies in handling of antisemitic content online.

A companion bill is expected to be introduced soon in the House.

The Senate bill has wide backing from Jewish establishment institutions, including the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Federations of North America and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. It is also backed by the Reform, Conservative and Orthodox movements.

“There’s not a single Jewish institution, not a synagogue, not a Jewish community center, not a Hillel, not a camp that isn’t convening meetings right now, asking themselves what must they do to secure the people who participate in their programs,” said Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, which championed the bill. “We think that it’s important for the Jewish community to come to members of Congress and point out that at this moment, you’ve got a serious domestic terror crisis aimed at the Jewish community, and this is an important way to address that crisis.”

Grants funded by the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, open to all religious institutions and nonprofits, pay for security upgrades such as cameras, fortifying doors and adding gates, barriers and metal detectors. The new bill would also allow money to be used for hiring security personnel. 

Jewish organizations have a good track record applying and receiving the grants. Other minority faiths, less so. Fingerhut said the JFNA is now offering its expertise to other faith groups as well.

But under the Trump administration, new provisions were added to the grant program that have prevented some from applying. The new rules require eligible religious institutions and nonprofits not to “operate any programs that advance or promote DEI, DEIA” (diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility), participate in any “discriminatory prohibited boycott” or run any program that “benefits illegal immigrants or incentivizes illegal immigration.”

Jews in the U.S. have faced a string of violent attacks in the past year. Last April, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home was broken into and set ablaze during Passover. In May last year, Israeli Embassy staff members were fatally shot outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. A month later, a man in Colorado firebombed an event organized by members of the Jewish community. An 82-year-old Jewish woman later died from her injuries.

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