Leaders of the Jewish Community Relations Councils (JCRCs) of Jewish Federations of Palm Beach County and South Palm Beach County have hailed the Florida legislature’s unanimous passage of the “Scrutinized Companies” bill, which will become law on July 1, 2011.  The new law adds to Florida’s groundbreaking 2007 legislation, significantly strengthening the state’s divestment from companies that invest with Iran and Sudan.  With integral bipartisan leadership, the “Scrutinized Companies” legislation was sponsored by Palm Beach County delegation members Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff and Representative Mack Bernard. The bill was also co-sponsored by Palm Beach County’s Senator Lizbeth Benaquisto and Representatives Joseph Abruzzo, Lori Berman, Bill Hager, Mark Pafford and Steve Perman.

“Our Jewish community has been monitoring the situation in Iran for many years,” said Rabbi David Steinhardt, Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County JCRC Chair. “Iranian leaders’ menacing threats to global stability and to Israel’s existence have made many in the free world understand the great threat this regime poses to the world’s security and freedom. As Americans, we understand the importance of a stable Middle East with strong democratic allies. We have been supporting economic sanctions as an effective way to pressure Iran to give up its nuclear aspirations, and divestment has shown itself to be a powerful tool.”

The two JCRCs, which serve as the Federations’ advocacy and public affairs arms, have long records of actively supporting divestment. In addition to their spearheading efforts toward introduction and passage of the 2007 and 2011 laws, the two JCRCs successfully pursued divestment resolutions by other governmental entities, including Palm Beach County and the municipalities of Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Jupiter, Lake Worth, Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Wellington and West Palm Beach.

“As the bloom wears off the rose of the so-called ‘Arab Spring,’ we should remain vigilant about the development of nuclear weapons in Iran,” said Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County JCRC Chair Jonathan Gilbert. “We recognized years ago that, if successful, the quest for nuclear arms in Iran would be an existential threat to Israel and the security of the United States, would further destabilize the region, and could lead to nuclear proliferation in the region, including other states having radical Islamist agendas. Thanks to years of efforts of our two Palm Beach County JCRCs, Florida serves as a model for what can be accomplished at state and local levels against this threat.”

The 2007 “Protecting Florida’s Investments Act” mandated that retirement funds of State of Florida workers could not be used to support Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons, nor Sudan’s genocidal activities in Darfur. Companies that had an investment of $20 million or more could no longer contribute to the two regimes. Since the original legislation, Florida has divested over $1 billion. With that initial law, Florida led the country as the first state to divest its funds from Iran and Sudan.
 
Mirroring legislation passed in California last fall, Florida’s new law will now drop the threshold of investment from $20 million or more to $1 million or more, to pull more money from the purse strings of Iran and Sudan. Signed by Governor Rick Scott on June 2, 2011, the new law will also, with state oversight, prohibit state agencies and local governmental entities from contracting for goods and services of more than a certain amount with a company that is on the Scrutinized Companies with Activities in Sudan List or the Scrutinized Companies with Activities in the Iran Petroleum Energy Sector List. Full bill text and analysis are available at http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2011/444.

“As long as these countries continue to reject the international community’s efforts to stop nuclear proliferation, we will work to ensure that the full financial capacity of the State of Florida is united in our efforts to stop these hostile governments. “Florida will no longer support the authoritarian efforts of Iran and Sudan, or be a partner in their efforts to produce nuclear weapons,” said State Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff, (R-25), the State Senate sponsor.

“I am thankful to the Jewish Community Relations Councils for their support of sponsorship of this important piece of legislation,” said State Representative Mack Bernard (D-84), the State House sponsor. “Together, we will help prevent Iran from building its nuclear energy sector through our bipartisan efforts.”

PHOTO CAPTION:

L-R: State Representative Mack Bernard and State Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff were honored by the JCRC of South Palm Beach County for their leadership on legislation to divest from Iran and Sudan. The new law takes effect on July 1, 2011.