Boycotting Israel? You may not be able to do business with Texas anymore

A plethora of issues await Texas lawmakers in less than a month

When legislators gather in Austin next month, they'll deal with all manner of issues, including gay marriage, corporal punishment in schools and companies boycotting Israel. Click through the gallery to see some of the key bills that will go before the Legislature starting in January. less A plethora of issues await Texas lawmakers in less than a month

When legislators gather in Austin next month, they'll deal with all manner of issues, including gay marriage, corporal punishment in schools and ... more Photo: David Williams, Austin Ridesharing Photo: David Williams, Austin Ridesharing Image 1 of / 29 Caption Close Boycotting Israel? You may not be able to do business with Texas anymore 1 / 29 Back to Gallery

Planning on boycotting Israel? A Texas lawmaker wants to make sure you don't do business with the state if you do.

State Sen. Brandon Creighton is pushing S.B. 134, which would forbid the state from signing contracts with any company or person engaging in a boycott of the Jewish state. Rep. Phil King is pushing a similar measure in the House.

Boycotting Israel is a real issue, both for businesses and for states. Most boycotts center on what is seen as Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands and the refusal to cooperate in creating a Palestinian state.

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And, while the bulk of the boycotts are done overseas, notable ones in the United States include the United Methodist Church, which refuses to to business with five Israeli banks and scientist Steven Hawking, who has passed on conferences as a form of protest.

The legislation isn't novel. New York and a dozen other states have either laws on the books or executive orders requiring a state to cease doing business with anyone boycotting Israel.

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The Texas proposal also bars anyone from suing the state over losing contracts because of a boycott and requires officials to keep a list of companies and individuals taking part in such an action.

While boycotting Israel doesn't appear to be a big issue in Texas, where two universities have publicly declined to take part, lawmakers will tackle the issue when reconvene in Austin in January.