Bill Text: TX HCR112 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Condemning the international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement and its activities to spread anti-Semitism in Texas.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 2)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-03-31 - Referred to State Affairs [HCR112 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HCR112-Introduced.html
| 85R16005 KSM-F | ||
| By: Zedler | H.C.R. No. 112 | |
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| WHEREAS, The State of Israel, the only democracy in the | ||
| Middle East, is a great friend and ally of the United States of | ||
| America, and Texas and Israel have a long history of friendship in | ||
| support of each other's interests; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Texas has signed multiple cooperative agreements | ||
| with Israel that have increased our connections and interactions in | ||
| the areas of business, government, art, culture, and education, and | ||
| elected Texas officials have been making mission trips to Israel | ||
| since 2003; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Despite previously expressed support from the Lone | ||
| Star State, there have been increasing incidents of anti-Semitism | ||
| around the world and in Texas, and the international Boycott, | ||
| Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement is one of the main | ||
| vehicles for spreading anti-Semitism and for advocating the | ||
| elimination of the Jewish state; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The preponderance of anti-Israel activities and the | ||
| promotion of the BDS movement, in Texas communities in general and | ||
| on university campuses specifically, have resulted in threats | ||
| against Jewish students and have deliberately interfered with the | ||
| learning environment of all students, particularly in the negative | ||
| impact of these activities on student programming related to the | ||
| State of Israel and politics in the Middle East; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The call of the BDS campaign for academic boycotts | ||
| has been condemned as a violation of the bedrock principle of | ||
| academic freedom by many of our nation's largest academic | ||
| associations, hundreds of university presidents, and a number of | ||
| other leading scholars; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Elected representatives of Texas defend the | ||
| inalienable right to free speech and understand that the goals and | ||
| activities of BDS campaigns in Texas are harmful to the state's | ||
| relationships with its Jewish citizens and with Israel and have a | ||
| deleterious impact on the educational environment; now, therefore, | ||
| be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
| hereby condemn the international Boycott, Divestment, and | ||
| Sanctions movement and its activities to spread anti-Semitism in | ||
| Texas; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That activities that contribute, directly or | ||
| indirectly, to the denial, violation, or delegitimization of any | ||
| people's academic freedom, including, but not limited to, promotion | ||
| of academic boycotts by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions | ||
| movement against Israel, be denounced; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That the international Boycott, Divestment, and | ||
| Sanctions movement and its agenda be considered inherently | ||
| antithetical and deeply damaging to the causes of peace, justice, | ||
| equality, democracy, and human rights for all peoples in the Middle | ||
| East; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That support for the State of Israel be reaffirmed | ||
| and that the Jewish people be recognized as indigenous to the land | ||
| of Israel and that they be supported in their right to engage in | ||
| lawful acts of self-defense. | ||
