The 2024 state-level budget sessions in New Mexico and Wyoming have concluded, but the ADL Mountain States Region is still tracking bills of interest in the Colorado General Assembly. A bill of particular note was House Bill 1169 introduced by Colorado State Rep. Elisabeth Epps. The bill would have repealed a law passed in 2016 that prohibits Colorado’s Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) from investing in companies that engage in the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

 

ADL joined representatives from the Jewish Community Relations Council of Colorado, Stop Antisemitism Colorado, Rocky Mountain Rabbis and Cantors, and dozens of community members in speaking against the bill during a six-hour long hearing on Feb. 26. The bill was defeated on a 10-1 vote.

 

ADL Mountain States Regional Board Member Tamir Goldstein testified and represented ADL. In his remarks, Goldstein stated, “Many of the publicly stated founding goals of the BDS movement, which effectively reject or ignore the Jewish people’s right to self-determination and seek the eradication of the world’s only Jewish state, are antisemitic.” He added, “BDS often gives rise to tensions in communities, which can result in the isolation and intimidation of Jews and supporters of Israel, undermining the fundamental building blocks for Israeli-Palestinian understanding, peace-building, and ultimate reconciliation. BDS campaigns are singularly targeted, one-sided, and counterproductive, and frequently create an environment in which anti-Jewish actions and expressions are emboldened, making Jewish Coloradans feel unsafe.”

 

To advocate with ADL on critical policy issues, visit:  www.adl.org/take-action/advocate-with-adl.