WHEREAS, the State of Oklahoma passed into law Enrolled House Bill No. 3967 in 2020; and

WHEREAS, HB 3967 passed the House by a vote of 75–20, and 36–7 in the Senate; and

WHEREAS, with the signature of Governor Stitt, Oklahoma became the 30th state to pass bipartisan laws against the bigoted movement to boycott Israel; and

WHEREAS, HB 3967 declared that Israel is a prominent trading partner of the State of Oklahoma and that the state and those companies that do business by and through the state, in the interest of the state's economic policy, should not boycott trade with Israel; and

WHEREAS, companies that refuse to deal with United States trade partners such as Israel make discriminatory decisions on the basis of national origin that impair those companies' commercial soundness; and

WHEREAS, Israel is known for its dynamic and innovative approach in many business sectors, and a company's decision to discriminate against persons or entities doing business in Israel or in territories controlled by Israel is an unsound business practice making the company an unduly risky contracting partner; and

WHEREAS, it is also the public policy of the United States, as enshrined in several federal acts, including 50 U.S.C., Section 4607, to oppose such boycotts, and Congress has concluded as a matter of national trade policy that cooperation with Israel materially benefits United States companies and improves American competitiveness; and

WHEREAS, under HB 3967, the state shall not enter into a contract with a company unless the company submits a written certification that the company is not currently engaged in a boycott of goods or services from Israel that constitutes an integral part of business conducted or sought to be conducted with the state; and

WHEREAS, on July 19, 2021, following the passage of HB 3967, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream declared that it would no longer offer its products in Israel in protest of what it considered “Occupied Palestinian Territories”; and

WHEREAS, Ben & Jerry's is a wholly owned subsidiary of Unilever; and

WHEREAS, Unilever has failed to disclose its violation of HB 3967 and numerous other matters related to its ownership of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream and the consequences to Unilever shareholders of its decision to no longer offer its products in the “Occupied Palestinian Territories”.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 2ND SESSION OF THE 58TH OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE:

THAT it is inconsistent with HB 3967 for Oklahoma to invest its funds, retirement or otherwise, in any company like Unilever that chooses not to conduct business with Israel, and consequently the State Treasurer and Comptroller shall divest the state and its retirement funds of all Unilever securities in a manner in their discretion.