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Lawmakers Vote To Boycott Israel Boycott

Florida Senate
/
Florida Senate

Lawmakers want to keep state and local government agencies from conducting business with companies  boycotting Israel.  

A bill filed by Sen. Joe Negron (R-Palm City) would block the state from entering into any future contracts worth over $1-million, or making investments for the state’s retirement system with companies engaging in what Negron calls “BDS.” It stands for boycott, divestment and sanctions, and is intended to put economic pressure on Israel.

“I think it’s important for Florida to make a statement that if you’re involved in the BDS movement, if you’re boycotting Israel just because it’s Israel, that’s your choice and you have a right to do that, but we also have a choice that we don’t want to invest in your company and we don’t want to do business with your company,” Negron says.

The measure focuses on future transactions. The bill passed its first committee 4-1 Tuesday.

Follow @Regan_McCarthy

Regan McCarthy is the Assistant News Director for WFSU Public Media. Before coming to Tallahassee, Regan graduated with honors from Indiana University’s Ernie Pyle School of Journalism. She worked for several years for NPR member station WFIU in Bloomington, Ind., where she covered local and state government and produced feature and community stories.

Phone: (850) 645-6090 | rmccarthy@fsu.edu

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