(April 17, 2019 / JNS) Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill on Tuesday to amend the state’s law prohibiting public contractors from boycotting Israel.
The 2016 anti-BDS bill was blocked by a federal court in September, citing a possible violation of the First Amendment. The modified version would apply to state contractors with more than 10 employees and those that receive a contract that is at least $100,000.
The new anti-BDS measure mirrors the one in Texas that passed last week.
The Israeli-American Coalition for Action, which worked with lawmakers to amend the law, praised the updated measure.
“In passing Arizona’s original law, and again with SB1167, the state’s legislature was perfectly clear in its intent, predicating passage on the recognition that commercial discrimination and boycotts of Israel are overwhelmingly anti-Semitic in nature and are not political,” said chairman Shawn Evenhaim. “That’s why these bills passed with such a high level of co-sponsorship and bi-partisan support.”