(NEWSnet/AP) — Most U.S. state legislatures will reconvene in January for the first time since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel sparked a war in Gaza. Lawmakers are preparing to take action in response, both symbolic and concrete.
Legislatures in at least eight states that were in session late in 2023 have condemned the attacks.
Measures have been introduced already for the 2024 sessions in states from New Hampshire to Tennessee, and more are likely.
Since Oct. 7, at least 59 Hamas- or Israel-related pieces of legislation have been introduced in state legislatures. Most are resolutions condemning the attack and supporting Israel.
In states including Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas, resolutions in condemnation of the attack passed unanimously or nearly so.
Others have different aims: Resolutions in Pennsylvania and Texas encourage President Joe Biden to facilitate an end to the conflict. A New Jersey bill would have the state reimburse travel bills for state residents who were part of evacuations from Israel.
In Michigan, the state House adjourned its 2023 session without agreeing on a resolution, as Arab American lawmakers refused to support a resolution condemning Hamas and supporting Israel’s response.
While condemning the attack is a popular position, how the bills do so varies.
At a special session this month, Georgia House of Representatives approved a resolution condemning the attacks. Only two of the 180 representatives voted against the resolution, but 49 didn't vote. Among them was Rep. Ruwa Romman, a Democrat and the first Muslim woman elected to the chamber.
She told the bill’s authors she would have supported it if it had said the state stands with the Israeli people, instead of Israel.
“You can’t ask me to stand with a country that displaced my grandparents and is now killing people en masse,” Romman said.
Lawmakers also are considering how to handle protests and events at universities, some which are accused of allowing antisemitism.
Indiana’s House Speaker Todd Huston told his caucus in November he would prioritize addressing antisemitism on campuses. Indiana House passed a bill during the 2023 legislative session that sought to define antisemitism as religious discrimination and “provide educational opportunities free of religious discrimination.” The bill died in the Senate.
A Florida measure introduced in 2023 would force public university students who support Hamas and other groups designated as terrorist organizations to pay out-of-state tuition. The bill did not advance in a special session in November, but the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Blaise Ingoglia said he would reintroduce it.
Edward Ahmed Michell, national deputy director ofCouncil on American-Islamic Relations, said measures restricting speech could be found unconstitutional and he doesn't expect them to gain traction. He said many of the others, which focus on support for Israel but not for the people of Gaza killed or displaced, also are troubling.
“I understand state legislators want to comment on international incidents that are relevant to their constituents, and that’s fine,” said Edward Ahmed Michell, the national deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “But they need to be morally consistent.”
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