Utah Democratic lawmaker seeks to repeal state’s anti-boycott law

A Utah legislator introduced legislation on March 3 that would repeal state restrictions preventing government entities from contracting with companies that boycott Israel.

SB 329, sponsored by state senator Nate Blouin, would repeal Title 63G, Chapter 27, Public Contract Boycott Restrictions, eliminating provisions in state law governing public contracts tied to boycott activity.

Currently, Utah restricts public entities from entering into contracts with companies that participate in economic boycotts. The bill would repeal those provisions entirely.

According to the legislation, it would remove statutes that “prohibit a public entity from entering into a contract with a company based on the company’s participation in a boycott of the State of Israel or an economic boycott.”

It would also remove legal definitions and requirements related to such activity, as well as rules requiring companies to certify that they are not participating in boycotts.

Blouin, 36, called the state’s anti-boycott law “idiotic” and recently blamed Israel for U.S. President Trump’s military strikes on Iran.

“Trump is starting yet another war in the Middle East on the behest of Israel, killing people abroad as a substitute for helping people at home,” he wrote on Feb. 28.

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