Bill > SB1375

Introduced Session

Virginia Public Procurement Act; public institutions of higher education; prohibition on boycotting Israel; civil penalty. Prohibits public bodies from entering into a contract in excess of $100,000 with any contractor having more than an average of 10 employees for the previous 12 months that boycotts Israel. The bill requires any such contractor seeking to contract with a public body under the provisions of the Virginia Public Procurement Act to certify in writing that it will not, during the performance of the contract, boycott Israel. The bill provides that any contractor that violates the provisions of the bill shall be debarred from contracting with all public bodies of the Commonwealth until it can prove that it no longer boycotts Israel. Such contractor is also subject to a civil penalty in an amount equal to three times the amount of the contract. Public bodies are required to maintain and report to the Department of General Services, for inclusion in a publicly available online database, a list of contractors that violated the prohibition and have been debarred. The bill also prohibits public institutions of higher education from boycotting Israel and directs the governing board of each public institution of higher education to establish guidelines that require (i) any entity under the control of the governing board to certify in writing that it shall not boycott Israel; (ii) a quarterly review and report by the governing board of all such entities to determine whether any such entity has boycotted Israel; (iii) appropriate penalties for any entity that has boycotted Israel; and (iv) all written certifications, quarterly reports, and penalty information to be sent to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia for inclusion in a publicly available online database. Virginia Public Procurement Act; public institutions of higher education; prohibition on boycotting Israel; civil penalty. Prohibits public bodies from entering into a contract in excess of $100,000 with any contractor having more than an average of 10 employees for the previous 12 months that boycotts Israel. The bill requires any such contractor seeking to contract with a public body under the provisions of the Virginia Public Procurement Act to certify in writing that it will not, during the performance of the contract, boycott Israel. The bill provides that any contractor that violates the provisions of the bill shall be debarred from contracting with all public bodies of the Commonwealth until it can prove that it no longer boycotts Israel. Such contractor is also subject to a civil penalty in an amount equal to three times the amount of the contract. Public bodies are required to maintain and report to the Department of General Services, for inclusion in a publicly available online database, a list of contractors that violated the prohibition and have been debarred. The bill also prohibits public institutions of higher education from boycotting Israel and directs the governing board of each public institution of higher education to establish guidelines that require (i) any entity under the control of the governing board to certify in writing that it shall not boycott Israel; (ii) a quarterly review and report by the governing board of all such entities to determine whether any such entity has boycotted Israel; (iii) appropriate penalties for any entity that has boycotted Israel; and (iv) all written certifications, quarterly reports, and penalty information to be sent to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia for inclusion in a publicly available online database.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Jill Vogel (R)*,  Siobhan Dunnavant (R), 

Passed by indefinitely in General Laws and Technology (9-Y 6-N) (on 01/25/2023)

Official Document