Terror-free investing making progress in Indiana and Florida
May 05, 2009
In state capitals across America, the movement to divest public funds from shares of companies that choose to do business with state sponsors of terrorism continues to make major headway.
State legislators have taken the lead in informing the public about the benefits of divesting from the economies of nations such as Iran, Syria, and Sudan which are all on the U.S. State Department’s list of terrorist sponsoring nations. These efforts have met with success in just the last several days as terror-free investment bills have been passed in two key states-Indiana and Florida.
In Indiana, HB 1547 authored by State Representative David Niezgodski, was signed into law on Friday, 1 May by Governor Mitch Daniels.
That law divests Indiana’s taxpayer-supported, public pension systems from companies with active business ties to the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Syrian Arab Republic. Indiana previously divested from the Islamic Republic of Sudan in 2007.
In Florida, SB 538, co-authored by Senator Ted Deutch and Senator Carey Baker, has now passed both houses of the Florida legislature and awaits the governor’s signature.
