Pennsylvania

There are currently three anti-BDS bills pending in the Pennsylvania state legilature:

• HB 1018 would prohibit state funding of any college/university that boycotts Israel
• HB 1986 would blacklist individuals, organizations, and companies engaged in "politically motivated" boycotts of Israel, and would prohibit the state of Pennsylvania from contracting with blacklisted entities.
• HB 1987 would require the state pension funds to divest from companies that boycott Israel.

Find out more:

• Share with your legislator: Legal analysis on HB 1018 by Palestine Legal, Center for Constitutional Rights, and ACLU-PA
• Bill status (updated 3/9/2016): introduced and referred to House education committee
• Read the bills: HB 1018 (Stand With Israel Act), HB 1986, and HB 1987
• Coming soon: Resources on HB 1986 and HB 1987 

In 2015, Pennsylvania's Senate and House passed non-binding resolutions condemning the BDS movement (Senate Resolution 136 and House Resolution 370). These resolutions have no effect on your right to advocate for BDS.

Remember

These bills are the result of a campaign to suppress Palestine human rights activism in the U.S. Israel's interest in restricting this activism should not override our constitutional right to advocate for change. 

The good news is that your right to engage in boycotts related to Israeli human rights abuses and to advocate for BDS is protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. None of the bills and resolutions described here prohibit you from engaging in BDS activities.

Whatever your views on Israel and Palestine, these bills should be of concern because they threaten the rights of everyone in the U.S. to take collective action to address injustice. Moreover, we should all be alarmed that a foreign government, Israel, is lobbying U.S. politicians to restrict our rights.