Release from the West Virginia House of Delegates:
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Delegate Kayla Kessinger, R-Fayette, and Assistant Majority Leader of the House of Delegates, proudly joined an overwhelming majority of House members who voted to pass the Anti-Discrimination Against Israel Act.
The measure, HB2933, passed the House of Delegates March 26 by a vote of 94-2. The legislation would prohibit the state from entering into contracts with any entity actively engaged in the boycott of Israel.
“I am proud that the House of Delegates overwhelmingly voted to support Israel,” Kessinger said. “Passage of this bill would mean that West Virginia will no longer be complicit with the despicable Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) movement.”
Kessinger has introduced similar legislation in previous years after discovering the need for it during a trip to Israel.
“Our taxpayers deserve to know that their money is not being used to support entities who oppose the existence of the nation of Israel,” she said. “The BDS movement’s sole purpose is to delegitimize, destroy and completely eliminate our closest ally in the Middle East, Israel.”
Thirty other states have enacted similar legislation, and it would not apply to contracts with a total potential value of less than $100,000 or contractors with fewer than 10 employees.
“I understand that on its face it may not seem relevant to us in West Virginia, but after my visit, I understood just how important the existence and security and strength of Israel is to the protection of the United States and West Virginia,” Kessinger said. “West Virginia has had millions of dollars in exports to Israel. We share military intelligence on counterterrorism and technology when it comes to advancing the way we protect ourselves at home and abroad.”
