State Investments

This anti-boycott law prohibits state investment in entities that engage in boycotts of Israel. The law calls for the creation of a blacklist of companies engaged in prohibited boycotts and requires public agencies to divest from blacklisted companies. The bill’s legislative findings target boycott and divestment campaigns, including “environmental, social, or governance campaign[s]” and misrepresent boycotts for justice as based on “discriminatory decision[s] based on geographic or national origin.” 

This bill, formerly HSB 639, amends Iowa’s 2016 anti-boycott law (HF 2331), and expands the definition of companies subject to the law  to include a “wholly owned subsidiary, majority-owned subsidiary, parent company, or affiliate of such business or business.”

Iowa’s anti-boycott law requires state entities to create a blacklist of entities that boycott Israel and territories it occupies. The law prohibits state entities from investing in or contracting with blacklisted entities for contracts of $1,000 or more.  The amendments in HF 2373 are specifically aimed at Ben & Jerry’s and in response to the ice cream company’s 2021 announcement that it would stop doing business in illegal Israeli settlements. Ben and Jerry’s and its London-based parent company, Unilever, have come under attack from Israel and its allies who have called for states to use anti-boycott laws to divest from Unilever. The bill went into effect in July 2022. Related bill: SF 2265.

This anti-boycott bill prohibits state contracts with and state investment—both direct and indirect—in companies that boycott Israel. The bill calls for the creation of a blacklist of restricted companies from which the state must divest and in which it cannot directly invest. The bill excludes indirect investments where it is unlikely that more than 0.05% of the fund’s total investments is invested in blacklisted companies. The bill also prohibits state contracts of any value with entities that boycott Israel, requiring the commissioner of taxation and finance to confirm that the company is not engaged in prohibited boycotts before accepting a bid. This bill expands the scope of New York’s executive order prohibiting state investment in companies that boycott Israel.  

This anti-boycott bill prohibits state investment in and state contracts with entities that engage in boycotts if the purpose of the boycott is to “collectively restrict Israeli commerce or collectively change policy or law of the Israeli government.” The bill prohibits the state from imposing a written certification requirement. Two previous anti-boycott bills, introduced in 2017 (HB 501) and 2019 (HB 493), were defeated.

This anti-boycott bill prohibits state investment in and state contracts with entities that engage in boycotts of Israel or companies based in Israel or territories it occupies. The bill requires the state to create a blacklist of corporations, non-profits, and groups engaged in prohibited boycotts. State agencies may not enter into contracts with blacklisted entities, and contractors must provide written certification that they are not on the blacklist. The state comptroller and public retirement funds are prohibited from investing in entities engaged in prohibited boycotts. This is a companion bill to S. 706. Similar bills have failed to pass in previous sessions (S. 2430, A. 5847).

This anti-boycott bill prohibits state investment in and state contracts with entities that engage in boycotts of allied nations, including Israel, or companies based in allied nations or territories occupied by allied nations. The bill requires the state to create a blacklist of corporations, non-profits, and groups engaged in prohibited boycotts. State agencies may not enter into contracts with blacklisted entities, and contractors must provide written certification that they are not on the blacklist. The state comptroller and public retirement funds are prohibited from investing in entities engaged in prohibited boycotts. Similar bills have failed to pass in previous sessions (S. 2430, A. 5847). A similar bill focused only on boycotts of Israel (S. 706) was also introduced this session.

This anti-boycott bill prohibits state investment in and state contracts with entities that engage in boycotts of Israel or companies based in Israel or territories it occupies. The bill requires the state to create a blacklist of corporations, non-profits, and groups engaged in prohibited boycotts. State agencies may not enter into contracts with blacklisted entities, and contractors must provide written certification that they are not on the blacklist. The state comptroller and public retirement funds are prohibited from investing in entities engaged in prohibited boycotts. Similar bills have failed to pass in previous sessions (S. 2430, A. 5847).

This anti-boycott bill prohibits state investment in and state contracts with any person, including individuals, corporations, and nonprofits, that boycott allied nations, including Israel and the territories it occupies. The bill requires the state to create a blacklist of persons engaged in prohibited boycotts. The state comptroller and public retirement funds are prohibited from investing in blacklisted entities. State agencies may not enter into contracts with blacklisted companies. Contractors must provide written certification that they are not on the blacklist and have not engaged in prohibited boycotts.

This New Castle County Council anti-boycott bill requires the county pension board to establish a [blacklist] of companies engaged in boycotts of Israel or of companies based in Israel or its occupied territories. The board is required to divest its holdings from blacklisted companies.

This anti-boycott bill prohibits state investment in and state contracts with entities that engage in boycotts of Israel or companies based in Israel or territories it occupies. The bill requires the state to create a blacklist of corporations, non-profits, or groups engaged in prohibited boycotts. State agencies may not enter into contracts and contractors may not subcontract with blacklisted entities. Contractors must provide written certification that they are not on the blacklist. The state comptroller and public retirement funds are prohibited from investing in entities engaged in prohibited boycotts. Related bill: S 2430.