Mississippi would join at least 20 other states in banning government agencies from contracting with companies that boycott Israel if a House bill passes into law.

The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday sent the Israel Support Act of 2019, authored by Rep. Donnie Bell, R-Fulton, to the full House.

Under the proposal, the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration would be required to compile a list of companies "determined to engage in a boycott of Israel."

“If you count yourself as a friend of Israel, I encourage you to vote for this bill,” Rep. Greg Snowden, R-Meridian, told the committee.

Snowden, who is one of three co-sponsors for the bill, said Gov. Phil Bryant supports the move. Last year, representatives for 16 Israeli companies attended a Homeland Security conference hosted by Bryant.

The bill passed the committee Tuesday without opposition or debate.

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Snowden billed the state’s embrace of Israel as a bipartisan issue. In 2017, Jim Hood, attorney general and Democratic candidate for governor, co-hosted a reception for the American-Israel Friendship with Snowden.

The proposal could spark a costly legal push back.

The American Civil Liberties of Union sued Texas in response to a law requiring government contractors to pledge they won’t boycott Israel. The suit argues the law restricts free speech.

The legal advocacy group had success in blocking a similar effort in Arizona. Last year, a federal judge ruled that such measures could clash with the First Amendment, which guarantees the right to free speech and the right to assembly.