Florida Senate - 2014                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SR 894
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì476686]Î476686                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  03/25/2014           .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————




       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete everything after the resolving clause
    4  and insert:
    5         That the Florida Senate stands with Israeli universities
    6  and institutions of higher learning, and stands against the
    7  academic boycott of Israeli universities, and
    8         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Florida Senate encourages
    9  and welcomes bipartisan support in recognition of Israel’s right
   10  to academic freedom and collaboration with institutions around
   11  the world.
   12  
   13  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   14  And the title is amended as follows:
   15         Delete everything before the resolving clause
   16  and insert:
   17                        A bill to be entitled                      
   18         A resolution expressing opposition to the academic
   19         boycott of Israeli universities and institutions of
   20         higher learning, and support of academic and political
   21         freedom and collaboration with Israeli universities.
   22  
   23         WHEREAS, Israel is the only country in the Middle East
   24  which is a democracy, and
   25         WHEREAS, Israel is a strong ally of the United States, and
   26  this alliance is based on shared values and interests, and
   27  invaluable cooperation in military technology, cyber security,
   28  medicine, biotechnology, agriculture, bilateral trade and
   29  commerce, as well as educational, research, and cultural
   30  exchanges, and
   31         WHEREAS, some groups have proposed an academic boycott as a
   32  means of insinuating that Israel discriminates against
   33  Palestinian Arabs, and
   34         WHEREAS, Israeli universities are in reality open to all
   35  people, regardless of gender, creed, race, or nationality, and
   36  fully encourage academic freedom, and
   37         WHEREAS, the academic boycott of Israeli universities and
   38  institutions of higher learning is antithetical to the
   39  principles of academic freedom and to the free and open exchange
   40  of ideas, NOW, THEREFORE,