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This anti-boycott law prohibits state contracts with individuals or companies that boycott Israel or territories occupied by Israel. Contractors are required to sign a written certification that they are not currently engaged in a boycott of Israel. HB 2409 also precludes Kansas from adopting policies that have the effect of requiring or inducing others to boycott Israel, a provision aimed at discouraging divestment campaigns at public universities.  

In January 2018, a federal court blocked Kansas from enforcing the law on grounds that “First Amendment protects the right to participate in political boycotts like the one punished by the Kansas law.” Kansas lawmakers subsequently amended the law (HB 2482) so it no longer applied to individuals like the plaintiff. Related bill: HB 2351.

This anti-boycott law amends Kansas’ previous law (HB 2409) to remove individuals, sole proprietors, and contracts worth less than $100,000 from the purview of the state contract prohibition. The law requires contractors to sign a written certification that they are “not currently engaged in a boycott of goods or services from Israel that constitutes an integral part of business conducted or sought to be conducted with the state.” 

In 2018, a federal court blocked Kansas from enforcing the law on grounds that the “First Amendment protects the right to participate in political boycotts like the one punished by the Kansas law.” In response, Kansas lawmakers amended the law so that it no longer applied to individuals like the plaintiff, rendering the case moot, but leaving the underlying constitutional issues unresolved. The amended law leaves in place the prohibition on Kansas public entities boycotting Israel or those doing business in Israel or the territories it occupies.  Related bill: HB 2778.

This anti-boycott defunding bill penalizes higher education institutions that use state aid to fund or provide funds for membership in or travel to meetings of academic entities that engage in or support academic boycotts. Schools that violate the prohibition will have the funding deducted from future state aid. The bill was introduced in response to resolutions by the Asian American Studies Association and American Studies Association endorsing the boycott of Israeli academic institutions complicit in Israel’s human rights violations.

This anti-boycott defunding bill penalizes higher education institutions that use state aid to fund or provide funds for membership in or travel to meetings of academic entities that engage in or support academic boycotts. Schools that violate the prohibition will have the funding deducted from future state aid. The bill was introduced following resolutions by the Asian American Studies Association and American Studies Association endorsing the boycott of Israeli academic institutions complicit in Israel’s human rights violations. 

This affirmative bill repeals Kansas’ anti-boycott law, which had been revised in 2018 (HB 2482) after a federal court blocked the implementation of the previous version (HB 2409) on the basis that it would violate the constitution. Kansas law currently prohibits state contracts over $100,000 with entities, excluding sole proprietors, that boycott Israel and territories occupied by Israel.

This anti-boycott bill prohibits state contracts with individuals or companies that boycott Israel or territories occupied by Israel. Contractors are required to sign a written certification that they are not and will not for the duration of the contract engage in a boycott of Israel. The bill also precludes Kansas from adopting policies that have the effect of requiring or inducing others to boycott Israel, a provision aimed at discouraging divestment campaigns at public universities. Related bill: HB 2409.

This anti-boycott bill amends Kansas’ previous law (HB 2409) to remove individuals, sole proprietors, and contracts worth less than $100,000 from the purview of the state contract prohibition. The bill requires contractors to sign a written certification that they are “not currently engaged in a boycott of goods or services from Israel that constitutes an integral part of business conducted or sought to be conducted with the state.” Related legislation: HB 2482 (passed).

This anti-boycott bill prohibits state contracts with and state investment in entities, including sole proprietorships and non-profits, that boycott Israel or territories occupied by Israel. The bill requires contractors to sign a written certification that they do not and will not engage in boycotts of Israel. It excludes contracts worth less than $1,000 or contractors who bid at least 20% less than other bidders. The bill calls for the creation of a blacklist of companies that boycott Israel and prohibits public retirement systems from investing in these companies. It also prohibits Arizona public entities from boycotting Israel, a provision aimed at discouraging divestment campaigns at public universities.

A federal court blocked enforcement of the law in September 2018, finding the plaintiff was likely to succeed in showing that the law violates his First Amendment rights and that the state’s continued enforcement of it would cause him irreparable harm. In 2019, Arizona amended the law (SB 1167) so it no longer applied to individuals like the plaintiff. The amendments altered the prohibitions related to state contracts, leaving in place those related to state investments.

This antisemitism redefinition bill requires the use of a distorted definition of antisemitism in hate crimes reporting and sentencing. Criticism of Israel and advocacy for Palestinian rights could be used as evidence of a hate crime or result in more severe sentences. 

The bill amends Arizona law to include antisemitism as one of the categories of discrimination for which the state must collect bias crime statistics, but adopts the IHRA definition of antisemitism, including its problematic contemporary examples, which include “[a]pplying double standards [to Israel] by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation” and “claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.” The bill requires courts to consider criticism of Israel that falls within the IHRA definition as an aggravating factor for sentencing in criminal convictions. Civil rights groups and advocates raised concerns over how the definition could be used to chill protected speech, and the bill failed to pass both houses before the end of the session. Related bill: SB 1143.

This non-binding resolution targets UN-related accountability efforts with regard to Israel’s ongoing violations of international law, repeating Israel’s claim that UN Security Council Resolution 2334 will lead to increased BDS efforts and “will provide a ‘tailwind for terror.’”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.