Maryland 2024 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1124 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.
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33 EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
44 [Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
55 *hb1124*
66
77 HOUSE BILL 1124
88 D3 4lr2206
99
1010 By: Delegate Acevero
1111 Introduced and read first time: February 7, 2024
1212 Assigned to: Judiciary
1313
1414 A BILL ENTITLED
1515
1616 AN ACT concerning 1
1717
1818 Civil Actions – Nonprofit Organizations – Unauthorized Support of Israeli 2
1919 Settlement Activity 3
2020 (Not on Our Dime Act) 4
2121
2222 FOR the purpose of prohibiting certain nonprofit organizations from aiding or abetting 5
2323 certain activity by the government of Israel or a citizen of Israel; authorizing the 6
2424 Attorney General or a certain person to bring a certain action against a nonprofit 7
2525 organization that violates this Act; requiring the Secretary of State to remove a 8
2626 nonprofit organization from the Registry of Charitable Solicitation following receipt 9
2727 of certain notice; and generally relating to the prohibition against unauthorized 10
2828 support of Israeli settlement activity by a nonprofit organization. 11
2929
3030 BY adding to 12
3131 Article – Courts and Judicial Proceedings 13
3232 Section 3–2301 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 23. Nonprofit Organizations – 14
3333 Unauthorized Support of Israeli Settlement Activity” 15
3434 Annotated Code of Maryland 16
3535 (2020 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 17
3636
3737 SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY TH E GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 18
3838 That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 19
3939
4040 Article – Courts and Judicial Proceedings 20
4141
4242 SUBTITLE 23. NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS – UNAUTHORIZED SUPPORT OF 21
4343 ISRAELI SETTLEMENT ACTIVITY. 22
4444
4545 3–2301. 23
4646
4747 (A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 24 2 HOUSE BILL 1124
4848
4949
5050 INDICATED. 1
5151
5252 (2) “NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIO N” MEANS AN ORGANIZATION EXEMPT 2
5353 FROM TAXATION UNDER § 501(C)(3) OR (4) OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE. 3
5454
5555 (3) “OCCUPIED TERRITORY ” MEANS THE ISRAELI–OCCUPIED WEST 4
5656 BANK, INCLUDING EAST JERUSALEM. 5
5757
5858 (4) (I) “PROTECTED PERSONS ” MEANS INDIVIDUALS PROTECTED 6
5959 UNDER GENEVA CONVENTION (IV) RELATIVE TO THE PROTECTION OF CIVILIAN 7
6060 PERSONS IN TIME OF WAR, 12 AUGUST 1949, 6 U.S.T. 3516. 8
6161
6262 (II) “PROTECTED PERSONS ” INCLUDES CIVILIANS I N OCCUPIED 9
6363 TERRITORY IN ACCORDA NCE WITH INTERNATION AL LAW. 10
6464
6565 (5) “UNAUTHORIZED SUPPORT OF ISRAELI SETTLEMENT AC TIVITY” 11
6666 MEANS AIDING AND ABETTING AC TIVITY OF THE GOVERNMENT OF ISRAEL, OR A 12
6767 CITIZEN OF ISRAEL, THAT IS BANNED UNDER THE GENEVA CONVENTION S SIGNED 13
6868 AUGUST 12, 1949, AS AMENDED , AND THEIR ADDITIONAL PROTOCOLS, TO WHICH 14
6969 THE UNITED STATES IS A PARTY, INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING ACTIVI TY: 15
7070
7171 (I) THE UNLAWFUL TRANSFER OF ISRAELI CIVILIANS INT O 16
7272 OCCUPIED TERRITORY ; 17
7373
7474 (II) ACTS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST PROTECTED PERSONS BY 18
7575 CITIZENS OF ISRAEL LIVING IN OCCU PIED TERRITORIES , INCLUDING: 19
7676
7777 1. ABDUCTION; 20
7878
7979 2. MURDER; 21
8080
8181 3. ASSAULT; 22
8282
8383 4. ARSON; AND 23
8484
8585 5. THE COMMISSION OF ANY AC T DESCRIBED IN ITEMS 1 24
8686 THROUGH 4 OF THIS ITEM USING A FIREARM OR E XPLOSIVE DEVICE ; 25
8787
8888 (III) CRIMES AGAINST PROPER TY INCLUDING: 26
8989
9090 1. THE KILLING OR HARMIN G OF ANIMALS AND 27
9191 LIVESTOCK; 28
9292 HOUSE BILL 1124 3
9393
9494
9595 2. THE DESTRUCTION OF TREES AND CROPS ; 1
9696
9797 3. THE APPROPRIATION , EXPROPRIATION , SEIZURE, 2
9898 DESTRUCTION , DEMOLITION, DISMANTLEMENT , OR CONFISCATION , IN WHOLE OR IN 3
9999 PART, OF PRIVATE PROPERTY , INCLUDING: 4
100100
101101 A. HOMES; 5
102102
103103 B. APARTMENT BUILDINGS ; 6
104104
105105 C. COMMERCIAL PROPERTY ; 7
106106
107107 D. FOOD MARKETS ; AND 8
108108
109109 E. ANIMAL SHELTERS ; AND 9
110110
111111 4. BLOCKING ACCESS TO PALESTINIAN LANDS BY 10
112112 FENCING, STRUCTURES , OR OTHER MEANS ; 11
113113
114114 (IV) THE UNILATERAL ACQUIS ITION AND ANNEXATION OF LAND 12
115115 IN OCCUPIED TERRITOR Y; 13
116116
117117 (V) THE FORCED TRANSFER O R EVICTION OF PROTEC TED 14
118118 PERSONS WIT HIN OCCUPIED TERRITO RY, OR THE DEPORTATION O F PROTECTED 15
119119 PERSONS FROM OCCUPIE D TERRITORY; AND 16
120120
121121 (VI) THE DESTRUCTION OF IN FRASTRUCTURE WITHIN 17
122122 OCCUPIED TERRITORY INCLUDING THE DESTRUCTION OF : 18
123123
124124 1. HOSPITALS AND OTHER M EDICAL FACILITIES ; 19
125125
126126 2. WATER AND SEWAGE SYSTEM EL EMENTS; 20
127127
128128 3. ELECTRICAL LINES ; 21
129129
130130 4. ROADS; 22
131131
132132 5. SCHOOLS; AND 23
133133
134134 6. NETWORK FACILITIES . 24
135135
136136 (B) A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATI ON REGISTERED WITH T HE SECRETARY OF 25
137137 STATE TO SOLICIT CHAR ITABLE DONATIONS IN THE STATE MAY NOT KNOWING LY 26 4 HOUSE BILL 1124
138138
139139
140140 ENGAGE IN UNAUTHORIZ ED SUPPORT OF ISRAELI SETTLEMENT AC TIVITY. 1
141141
142142 (C) (1) THE ATTORNEY GENERAL MAY BRING AN ACTION FOR 2
143143 INJUNCTIVE RELIEF AN D DAMAGES ON BEHALF OF THE STATE OR ANY OF ITS 3
144144 POLITICAL SUBDIVISIO NS AGAINST A DIRECTO R, AN OFFICER, A PARTNER, A 4
145145 TRUSTEE, A MANAGER, OR ANY OTHER AGENT O F A NONPROFIT ORGANI ZATION THAT 5
146146 VIOLATES SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION. 6
147147
148148 (2) IN AN ACTION FILED UN DER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS 7
149149 SUBSECTION, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL MAY NOT SEEK LESS THAN $1,000,000 IN 8
150150 DAMAGES. 9
151151
152152 (D) (1) A PERSON HARMED BY A VI OLATION OF SUBSECTIO N (B) OF THIS 10
153153 SECTION MAY BRING AN ACTION FOR INJUNCTIV E RELIEF AND ACTUAL DAMAGES 11
154154 AGAINST A DIRECTOR , AN OFFICER, A PARTNER, A TRUSTEE, A MANAGER, OR ANY 12
155155 OTHER AGENT OF A NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT VIOLATES SUBSEC TION (B) OF 13
156156 THIS SECTION. 14
157157
158158 (2) IN ADDITION TO INJUNC TIVE RELIEF AND ACTUAL DAMAGES , A 15
159159 COURT MAY AWARD ATTORNEY ’S FEES TO A PREVAILI NG PLAINTIFF. 16
160160
161161 (E) ON NOTICE FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OR A PREVAILI NG 17
162162 PLAINTIFF OF A JUDGMENT ENTERE D AGAINST A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION 18
163163 UNDER THIS SECTION , THE SECRETARY OF STATE SHALL REMOVE THE NONPROFIT 19
164164 ORGANIZATION FROM THE REGISTRY OF CHARITABLE SOLICITATION. 20
165165
166166 (F) AN ACTION UNDER THIS SECTION: 21
167167
168168 (1) MAY BE BROUGHT IN ANY COUNTY IN THE STATE; AND 22
169169
170170 (2) SHALL BE FILED WITHIN 10 YEARS AFTER THE DATE OF THE 23
171171 OCCURRENCE OF THE ACT ON WHICH THE CLA IM IS BASED. 24
172172
173173 SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 25
174174 October 1, 2024. 26