N.J. lawmakers pass bill to discourage Israel boycotts
TRENTON - New Jersey lawmakers voted overwhelmingly Monday to prohibit the state Treasury Department from investing public employee pension funds in companies that boycott Israel.
TRENTON - New Jersey lawmakers voted overwhelmingly Monday to prohibit the state Treasury Department from investing public employee pension funds in companies that boycott Israel.
The legislation, which is intended to defend Israel and Israeli companies from the "boycott, divestment, and sanctions" movement launched by Palestinians and their allies in 2005, now heads to Gov. Christie's desk.
It passed the Assembly, 69-3, with two abstentions, and the Senate on a 37-0 vote Monday.
Lawmakers said the bill would strengthen New Jersey's ties with Israel, but the American Civil Liberties Union declared that the vote "represents a low point for the freedom of speech in New Jersey in recent years."
"The legislation tarnishes our constitutional rights and chills a time-honored form of political protest," Ari Rosmarin, public policy director of the ACLU's New Jersey chapter, said in a statement.
Should New Jersey enact the law, it would join about a dozen other states that have passed similar measures, including New York this month.
New Jersey's $71 billion pension fund covers about 800,000 active and retired public employees.
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