Florida Moves To Pass Tougher Anti-BDS Laws
By Nathan Guttman January 24, 2018
Florida is one of 20 U.S. states that have already enacted measures to confront companies that boycott Israel.
Now, the Tallahassee Democrat is reporting that state legislatures are poised to toughen the already existing anti-BDS law, making it even harder for companies to do business with Florida if they chose to boycott Israel.
The new bill was presented by Rep. Randy Fine and endorsed by Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran. While existing laws allow punishing companies that conduct over $1 million of business in Florida, the new legislation removes this limit and enables the state to go after smaller companies adhering to boycotts against Israel.
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Fine referred to New Zealand singer Lorde’s who recently canceled her planned concert in Tel-Aviv. Lorde is scheduled to perform in Florida in April and if the new bill passes, she could be forced to reschedule the tour to venues that do not receive state funding.
Contact Nathan Guttman at guttman@forward.com or on Twitter @nathanguttman
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
