We want to encourage your membership to contact their legislators to vote for repeal of the MN anti-boycott laws.

We have a short presentation, about 20 slides, that provides a brief history and lays out the plan.

a. Can we present to your group?
b. 45 mins-1 hour: slides, discussion, get sign-ups. Zoom or in person.

Last spring 30 organizations signed onto a 2025 Coalition Repeal Statement, and the JVP hosted a Day-on-the-Hill. This action, and after 8 years of intensive organizing, resulted in bills in both the House (HF3258) and the Senate (SF3356) to repeal the anti-boycott laws. HUGE victory, first readings were held, and the bills have been moved to (the first) committee. Next, we hope for hearings; and we are really hoping for a vote in the 2026 spring session.

This fall we want to get commitments from legislators that they will vote YES on these bills that repeal the anti-boycott laws. We will provide e-mail and phone call templates for use by your members to contact their legislators.

The anti-boycott bill is specifically aimed at prohibiting public disapproval for the state of Israel’s actions.

Vendors are not allowed to boycott Israel if they want to contract with the state of MN, however vendors are not prohibited from engaging in free speech as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. THE RIGHT TO BOYCOTT IS GUARANTEED FREE SPEECH. This MN law violates the right to boycott!

And they are coming for other boycotters: House bill HF2806 was introduced in 2025:
c. HF2806: State Board of Investment prohibited from investing in
companies that boycott mining, energy production, production agriculture, or commercial lumber production; State Board of Investment required to divest from companies boycotting said industries; state agency contracts prohibited; and certain financial institution discrimination prohibited.

ALL the bill sponsors/co-sponsors of the repeal bills are DFLers. And many of the rest of the DFL, and probably all the Republican legislators, are OK with allowing this contradiction to stand. AG Keith Ellison has been repeatedly asked to rule on the constitutionalty of the anti-boycott law, he won’t do it. (Legalese, i.e., he needs a plaintiff, he has to be asked by a legislator, yadda, yadda.)

We are spring boarding off the recent Jewish Voice for Peace legislative efforts to add signatories to the 2025 Coalition Repeal Statement, organizing support from faith communities, student activists, unions, and others.

The egregious campaign of Palestinian removal by the State of Israel has given the anti-boycott efforts a most timely window to push hard for the repeal effort. Opposing this genocide is in no way antisemitic; these accusations serve only to confuse the public and provide cover for continued war-mongering. The moral imperative of supporting the Palestinian people is very clear.

But. For much of the state, many of the residents, and probably an overwhelming percentage of the legislators, protection of the First Amendment rights of American citizens is the argument to
be emphasized.

The campaign we are asking you to join is this: To organize your members to sign up to contact their legislators and to convince them to vote YES when the repeal bills come up for a vote. This will entail a) sending an e-mail with the request for a YES vote, b) calling the Legislative Aide (we will give you the contact info) explaining the request, c) arranging a future phone call. It is very important we have constituents make these contacts. Often legislators will not talk to people who do not live in their districts.

Let’s get this anti-boycott, anti-free speech law overturned this year!