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This anti-boycott bill prohibits state contracts with businesses engaged in discriminatory boycotts based on “race, color, religion, gender, or nationality of the targeted person, firm, entity or public entity of a foreign state.” 

This anti-boycott bill prohibits state contracts with businesses unless they provide a written certification that they are not and will not engage in a boycott of persons or entities based in or doing business with or agencies of “a jurisdiction with whom the state can enjoy open trade.” The bill provides exceptions for bids at least 20% less than other bids and excludes contracts worth less than $10,000. Because H7736 defines boycotts as those “based on race, color, religion, gender, or nationality” of the targeted entity, boycotts for justice fall outside its scope. 

This non-binding resolution opposes United Nations Security Council Resolution 2234, claiming it lends legitimacy to “unjustified boycotts or divestment campaigns against Israel.” UN Security Council Resolution 2334 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. 

This non-binding resolution condemns BDS, finding it “to be an antisemitic political movement.” The resolution falsely links boycotts for Palestinian rights with rising antisemitism, referencing the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting carried out by a white nationalist. The resolution calls on all states to adopt anti-boycott laws like the one that Pennsylvania has in effect (HB 2107).

SR 136 is a non-binding resolution condemning boycotts for Palestinian rights and academic boycotts, in particular. The resolution falsely claims that boycotts for Palestinian rights have contributed to rising antisemitism and have resulted in intimidation of Jewish students on college campuses. The resolution urges the state attorney general to explore whether BDS efforts violate state laws, including those related to antitrust, hate crimes, business torts, and other matters. Related Legislation: HR 370.

This anti-boycott bill prohibits state contracts with companies, including sole proprietorships, that boycott Israel. While the preambular language makes clear that the bill targets boycotts for Palestinian rights, the operative language is more general, prohibiting boycotts of “a person or an entity based in or doing business with a jurisdiction which the Commonwealth is not prohibited by Congressional statute from engaging in trade or commerce.” The bill requires contractors to provide a written certification that they are not currently engaged in such discriminatory boycotts and will not engage in such boycotts for the duration of the contract. To register as a vendor with the state, companies must provide a certification form indicating that they are eligible to contract with the state under the terms of this bill. The penalty for false certification is the greater of $250,000 or twice the amount of the contract. The bill provides an exception for contracts below an annually adjusted “small purchase” threshold (around $20,000 in 2020). The bill defines boycotts as those “based on race, color, religion, gender or national affiliation or origin of the targeted person or entity.” Related Legislation: HB 1986.

HR 370 is a non-binding resolution condemning boycotts for Palestinian rights and academic boycotts, in particular. The resolution falsely claims that boycotts for Palestinian rights have contributed to rising antisemitism and have resulted in intimidation of Jewish students on college campuses. Related Legislation: SR 136.

HR 627 is a non-binding resolution that condemns the American Studies Association’s 2013 resolution endorsing the boycott of Israeli academic institutions complicit in Israel’s violations of international law. The resolution notably and falsely labels the ASA’s boycott “an intolerable, anti-Semitic, base form of bigotry and hatred” and calls on all of Pennsylvania’s colleges and universities not to participate in academic boycotts. Related Legislation: SR 279.

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. 

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 anti-boycott defunding bill directs the trustees of New York’s public colleges and universities to prohibit funding student groups that directly or indirectly promote or encourage boycotts of any allied nation or companies based in an allied nation, including Israel and the territories it occupies. The bill includes boycotts intended to penalize or “cast disrepute upon” an allied nation, its peoples, or businesses based there, but its funding prohibitions are limited to boycotts “based on race, class, gender, nationality, ethnic origin or religion,” which should exclude boycotts for Palestinian rights.