Bill

This anti-boycott bill prohibits state contracts with companies that boycott Israel. Contractors must provide a written certification that they do not and will not for the duration of the contract engage in a boycott of Israel. The bill excludes contracts whose total value is less than $100,000 and contractors that have fewer than 10 full time employees. The bill applies to boycott actions targeting Israel; individuals or companies based in Israel; and companies authorized or licensed by Israel, a provision that would reach boycotts targeting illegal settlements. Similar bills have failed to pass in previous sessions (SB 219). The legislature passed SB 186, and the law went into effect in May 2021.

This affirmative bill would repeal the state’s anti-boycott provisions put in place by HF 400. A similar affirmative bill was introduced in 2019 (SF 2880). Related bill: HB 1246.

This anti-boycott bill prohibits state contracts with a company, including non-profits, unless the company signs a written certification that they are not currently and will not for the duration of the contract engage in boycotts of the state of Israel or territories under its control. This prohibition does not include contracts less than $100,000 or with companies that have fewer than 10 employees. The bill passed in April 2021. A nearly identical bill was defeated in 2020 (SB 1402).

This bill amends the state’s 2016 anti-boycott law to exclude sole proprietorships, companies employing five or fewer employees, and contracts valued at less than $100,000 from the prohibition on state contracts with entities that engage in boycotts of Israel. The bill applies to boycotts targeting Israel, companies doing business in Israel, and companies licensed or authorized by Israel, which would encompass boycotts targeting illegal settlements. The amendments would limit the law’s application to those contracts whose subject matter is or might be affected by participation in the boycott. A similar bill was introduced in 2020 (HB 1058). These amendments would likely mean that Georgia’s anti-boycott law would not apply to individuals like journalist and filmmaker Abby Martin who is a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the University System of Georgia for cancelling her speaking engagement following her refusal to sign a written certification not to boycott Israel.

This anti-boycott bill targets boycott, divestment, and sanctions efforts as well as efforts to seek accountability via the United Nations for Israel’s ongoing violations of international law. While imposing a host of requirements on US funding for UNRWA, the Human Rights Council, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the bill also states that it is the “policy of the United States to take steps to repeal Resolution A/HRC/31/L.38,” which called for the creation of a database of entities contributing to Israel’s illegal settlements. The bill further requires the President to work to secure the adoption of a UN General Assembly resolution that would label boycott, divestment, and sanctions activities as antisemitic.  

This anti-boycott defunding bill targets efforts to seek accountability via the United Nations for Israel’s ongoing violations of international law. The bill requires the United States government to cease its contributions to the United Nations until the President certifies that UN Security Council Resolution 2334 has been repealed. UN Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016) reaffirmed that Israel’s illegal settlements constitute a flagrant violation of international law. The US broke from its practice of blocking UN accountability measures focused on Israel and abstained rather than vetoing the resolution, causing consternation among pro-Israel groups. Related Bill: S 107. 

This anti-boycott defunding bill targets efforts to seek accountability via the United Nations for Israel’s ongoing violations of international law. The bill requires the United States government to cease its contributions to the United Nations until the President certifies that UN Security Council Resolution 2334 has been repealed. UN Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016) reaffirmed that Israel’s illegal settlements constitute a flagrant violation of international law. The US broke from its practice of blocking UN accountability measures focused on Israel and abstained rather than vetoing the resolution, causing consternation among pro-Israel groups. Related Bill: HR 769. 

This antisemitism redefinition bill amends provisions of the state’s Human Rights Act applicable to public schools and universities to adopt a distorted definition of antisemitism that could encompass any and all criticism of Israel, circumscribing protected political speech activities. The bill makes it a civil rights violation for schools to fail to treat antisemitic discrimination in the same way as race discrimination and defines antisemitism to include criticism of Israel, such as: “Applying a double standard to the State of Israel by requiring behavior of the State of Israel that is not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation, or focusing peace or human rights investigations only on the State of Israel.” An identical bill (HB 4049) failed to pass in the previous session.

This anti-boycott defunding bill prohibits state institutions of higher education from using state aid to fund or provide funds for membership in or travel to meetings of academic entities that engage in boycotts of countries that host New York state colleges, a short list that includes Israel. Schools that violate the prohibition are not eligible to receive state funds during the academic year in which the violation occurred. The bill provides exceptions for boycotts of countries determined by the United States to be state sponsors of terrorism, boycotts connected with labor disputes, or boycotts protesting unlawful discriminatory practices as determined by New York law. Similar bills have failed to pass in previous sessions (A. 7340, S. 2715, S. 4837).

This anti-boycott defunding bill prohibits state institutions of higher education from using state aid to fund or provide funds for membership in or travel to meetings of academic entities that engage in boycotts of countries that host New York state colleges, a short list that includes Israel. Schools that violate the prohibition are not eligible to receive state funds during the academic year in which the violation occurred. The bill provides exceptions for boycotts of countries determined by the United States to be state sponsors of terrorism, boycotts connected with labor disputes, or boycotts protesting unlawful discriminatory practices as determined by New York law. Similar bills have failed to pass in previous sessions (A. 7340, S. 2715, S. 4837).