Congress: 119 · Status: active · Israel/Palestine classification: pro-Israel
Data (JSON) — machine-readable record of this bill (identifiers, sponsor, classification, actions, and the member-by-member vote breakdown).
Official record on Congress.gov — full text, actions, and cosponsor history for S 4296.
Sponsor: Scott, Rick (R-Florida)
IGO Anti-Boycott Act This bill penalizes U.S. persons (individuals or entities) that participate in certain boycotts imposed by international governmental organizations (IGOs). The bill expands an existing law that prohibits various actions by U.S. persons in relation to boycotts imposed by foreign governments on a country that is friendly to the United States and not itself the object of a U.S. boycott. This bill applies those prohibitions to similar boycotts imposed by IGOs. Prohibited actions include (1) refusing to do business with companies organized under the laws of the boycotted country, if the refusal is pursuant to an agreement with or request from the country or IGO imposing the boycott; (2) furnishing information about whether any person has a business relationship with or in the boycotted country; and (3) furnishing information about whether someone is associated with charitable or fraternal organizations that support the boycotted country. Criminal penalties for willful violations of this law include fines of up to $1 million. In addition to such fines, individuals may be imprisoned for up to 20 years. Civil penalties may include fines and revocations of export licenses for certain national security-related items. The bill also requires the President to annually submit to Congress and make available to the public a report describing these boycotts and listing the foreign countries and international governmental organizations involved in fostering or imposing them.
This bill makes it illegal for Americans and U.S. companies to comply with boycotts of countries imposed by international organizations (like the UN or Arab League). It prohibits refusing to do business with companies from a boycotted country, sharing information about business ties to that country, or disclosing charitable donations to organizations supporting it. Violations carry criminal penalties up to $1 million in fines and 20 years in prison, plus potential revocation of export licenses. The President must report annually to Congress on which countries and international organizations are imposing these boycotts.
This directly targets Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns against Israel by treating international organization boycotts the same as foreign government boycotts under existing law. It sets criminal consequences for U.S. participation in or cooperation with IGO-coordinated economic pressure, raising accountability questions about whose speech and commerce are being restricted.