Protecting First Amendment Rights for All Minnesotans:
30 Minnesota Organizations Urge Repeal of Anti-Boycott Legislation

We are a state-wide coalition of organizations and constituent groups, including proponents of civil rights, religious freedom for all, Palestinian rights, labor rights, and environmental and climate justice.

We have joined together to urge the Minnesota state legislature to repeal two laws, Minnesota statutes 3.226 and 16C.053, which penalize individuals and organizations that want to boycott Israel.
In order to get a contract with the state or with the legislature, contractors must certify that they will not initiate or participate in a boycott of Israel.

These two Minnesota laws, passed in 2017, were largely written by ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council.  These laws are unconstitutional, as evidenced by the 1982 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware Company, which held that boycotting is political speech and is therefore protected by the First Amendment.

Requiring an individual or organization to certify that they do not and will not boycott Israel (or any other entity) thus clearly restricts freedom of expression and speech.

Since similar laws were passed in 38 other states, they have been used as templates to restrict the right to boycott a wide range of entities (involving fossil fuels, gun manufacturing, mining companies,
trans rights, etc.). In a recent example, bills were introduced in the 2024 Minnesota legislative session to penalize the boycotting of polluting industries.

Since the laws were enacted, many of us have been working to get them repealed. In the 2021-2022 session, we had two repeal bills introduced, but we failed to get a hearing. In 2025 Senator Pappas introduced SF 3356 and Representative Pursell introduced the
companion bill HF 3258. The bills were introduced too late for hearings.

As a state-wide coalition, we are very concerned that unless these two laws are repealed, Minnesotans will continue to have their Constitutional rights to free speech restricted—not only regarding Israel, but in relation to a wide range of issues that concern many
Minnesotans.

Signatories,
American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)
Anti-War Committee
Ayada Leads
CAIR – MN
Codepink – Fargo Moorhead
Community Members for Environmental Justice
(CMEJ)
Coulee Region Coalition for Palestinian Rights
Education for Justice in Palestine – UMN
Friends of Sabeel North America
Health Care Workers for Palestine (HCW4P)
Inter Faculty Organization
Jewish Community Action (JCA)
Jewish Voice for Peace – Twin Cities (JVP – TC)
Middle East Peace Now
Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers
Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee
Minnesota Peace Action Coalition (MPAC)
MN BDS Community
MN Christians for a Free Palestine
MN Interfaith Power & Light
MN Nurses Association
North American Water Office
Office and Professional Employees
International (OPEIU) Local 12
Reviving Islamic Sisterhood Empowerment (RISE)
SEIU Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa
SUMUD Northland – for Justice in Palestine and
Israel
Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)
Twin Ports Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)
Veterans for Peace Chapter 27
Women Against Military Madness (W.A.M.M)