Bill > HB4548

This bill amends the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to explicitly include ethnicity as a protected characteristic and provide a comprehensive definition of discrimination based on ethnicity, with a specific focus on addressing antisemitism. The bill adds "ethnicity" to existing non-discrimination protections across various domains including employment, housing, public accommodations, education, and financial services. It defines ethnicity as a grouping of people who share common attributes such as traditions, culture, religion, ancestry, nationality, language, history, or social treatment. The bill provides an extensive, detailed definition of antisemitism that includes various forms of discriminatory conduct, such as hateful rhetoric, dehumanizing allegations, denial of the Holocaust, and accusations of collective Jewish loyalty to Israel over their home country. The bill carefully clarifies that criticism of Israel similar to criticism of other countries does not constitute antisemitism and that a finding of discrimination based on ethnicity does not preclude findings of discrimination on other grounds like religion or race. The legislation aims to strengthen protections against discrimination by explicitly recognizing the complex nature of ethnic identity and addressing specific forms of prejudice. The amendments will take effect 90 days after being enacted into law.

Government Affairs

https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-HB-4548