Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1394 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb1394
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1394
8	8	D3 5lr0842
9	9	HB 1124/24 – JUD
10	10	By: Delegates Acevero, Fennell, Martinez, Sample–Hughes, Turner, and Young
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 7, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Judiciary
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Civil Actions – Nonprofit Organizations – Unauthorized Support of Israeli 2
19	19	Settlement Activity 3
20	20	(Not On Our Dime Act) 4
21	21
22	22	FOR the purpose of prohibiting certain nonprofit organizations from aiding or abetting 5
23	23	certain activity by the government of Israel or a citizen of Israel; authorizing the 6
24	24	Attorney General or a certain person to bring a certain action against a nonprofit 7
25	25	organization that violates this Act; requiring the Secretary of State to remove a 8
26	26	nonprofit organization from the Registry of Charitable Solicitation following receipt 9
27	27	of certain notice; and generally relating to the prohibition against unauthorized 10
28	28	support of Israeli settlement activity by a nonprofit organization. 11
29	29
30	30	BY adding to 12
31	31	Article – Courts and Judicial Proceedings 13
32	32	Section 3–2601 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 26. Nonprofit Organizations – 14
33	33	Unauthorized Support of Israeli Settlement Activity” 15
34	34	Annotated Code of Maryland 16
35	35	(2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 17
36	36
37	37	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 18
38	38	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 19
39	39
40	40	Article – Courts and Judicial Proceedings 20
41	41
42	42	SUBTITLE 26. NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS – UNAUTHORIZED SUPPORT OF 21
43	43	ISRAELI SETTLEMENT ACTIVITY. 22
44	44
45	45	3–2601. 23
46	46
47	47	(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 24 2 HOUSE BILL 1394
48	48
49	49
50	50	INDICATED. 1
51	51
52	52	(2) “NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIO N” MEANS AN ORGANIZATIO N EXEMPT 2
53	53	FROM TAXATION UNDER § 501(C)(3) OR (4) OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE. 3
54	54
55	55	(3) “OCCUPIED TERRITORY ” MEANS THE ISRAELI–OCCUPIED WEST 4
56	56	BANK, INCLUDING EAST JERUSALEM. 5
57	57
58	58	(4) (I) “PROTECTED PERSONS ” MEANS INDIVIDUALS PR OTECTED 6
59	59	UNDER GENEVA CONVENTION (IV) RELATIVE TO THE PROTECTION OF CIVILIAN 7
60	60	PERSONS IN TIME OF WAR, 12 AUGUST 1949, 6 U.S.T. 3516. 8
61	61
62	62	(II) “PROTECTED PERSONS ” INCLUDES CIVILIANS I N OCCUPIED 9
63	63	TERRITORY IN ACCORDA NCE WITH INTERNATION AL LAW. 10
64	64
65	65	(5) “UNAUTHORIZED SUPPORT OF ISRAELI SETTLEMENT AC TIVITY” 11
66	66	MEANS AIDING AND ABE TTING ACTIVITY OF TH E GOVERNMENT OF ISRAEL, OR A 12
67	67	CITIZEN OF ISRAEL, THAT IS BANNED UNDER THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS SIGNED 13
68	68	AUGUST 12, 1949, AS AMENDED , AND THEIR ADDITIONAL PROTOCOLS, TO WHICH 14
69	69	THE UNITED STATES IS A PARTY, INCLUDING THE FOLLOW ING ACTIVITY: 15
70	70
71	71	(I) THE UNLAWFUL TRANSFER OF ISRAELI CIVILIANS INT O 16
72	72	OCCUPIED TERRITORY; 17
73	73
74	74	(II) ACTS OF VIOLENCE AGAI NST PROTECTED PERSON S BY 18
75	75	CITIZENS OF ISRAEL LIVING IN OCCU PIED TERRITORIES , INCLUDING: 19
76	76
77	77	1. ABDUCTION; 20
78	78
79	79	2. MURDER; 21
80	80
81	81	3. ASSAULT; 22
82	82
83	83	4. ARSON; AND 23
84	84
85	85	5. THE COMMISSION OF ANY ACT DESCRIBED IN ITE MS 1 24
86	86	THROUGH 4 OF THIS ITEM USING A FIREARM OR EXPLOSIVE DEVICE; 25
87	87
88	88	(III) CRIMES AGAINST PROPER TY INCLUDING: 26
89	89
90	90	1. THE KILLING OR HARMIN G OF ANIMALS AND 27
91	91	LIVESTOCK; 28
92	92	HOUSE BILL 1394 3
93	93
94	94
95	95	2. THE DESTRUCTION OF TR EES AND CROPS ; 1
96	96
97	97	3. THE APPROPRIATION , EXPROPRIATION , SEIZURE, 2
98	98	DESTRUCTION, DEMOLITION, DISMANTLEMENT , OR CONFISCATION , IN WHOLE OR IN 3
99	99	PART, OF PRIVATE PROPERTY , INCLUDING: 4
100	100
101	101	A. HOMES; 5
102	102
103	103	B. APARTMENT BUILDINGS ; 6
104	104
105	105	C. COMMERCIAL PROPERTY ; 7
106	106
107	107	D. FOOD MARKETS ; AND 8
108	108
109	109	E. ANIMAL SHELTERS ; AND 9
110	110
111	111	4. BLOCKING ACCESS TO PALESTINIAN LANDS BY 10
112	112	FENCING, STRUCTURES , OR OTHER MEANS ; 11
113	113
114	114	(IV) THE UNILATERAL ACQUIS ITION AND ANNEXATION OF LAND 12
115	115	IN OCCUPIED TERRITOR Y; 13
116	116
117	117	(V) THE FORCED TRANSFER O R EVICTION OF PROTEC TED 14
118	118	PERSONS WITHIN OCCUP IED TERRITORY , OR THE DEPORTATION OF PROTECTED 15
119	119	PERSONS FROM OCCUPIE D TERRITORY; AND 16
120	120
121	121	(VI) THE DESTRUCTION OF IN FRASTRUCTURE WITHIN 17
122	122	OCCUPIED TERRITORY I NCLUDING THE DESTRUC TION OF: 18
123	123
124	124	1. HOSPITALS AND OTHER M EDICAL FACILITIES ; 19
125	125
126	126	2. WATER AND SEWAGE SYST EM ELEMENTS ; 20
127	127
128	128	3. ELECTRICAL LINES; 21
129	129
130	130	4. ROADS; 22
131	131
132	132	5. SCHOOLS; AND 23
133	133
134	134	6. NETWORK FACILITIES . 24
135	135
136	136	(B) A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATI ON REGISTERED WITH T HE SECRETARY OF 25
137	137	STATE TO SOLICIT CHAR ITABLE DONATIONS IN THE STATE MAY NOT KNOWING LY 26 4 HOUSE BILL 1394
138	138
139	139
140	140	ENGAGE IN UNAUTHORIZ ED SUPPORT OF ISRAELI SETTLEMENT ACTIVITY . 1
141	141
142	142	(C) (1) THE ATTORNEY GENERAL MAY BRING AN ACTION FOR 2
143	143	INJUNCTIVE RELIEF AN D DAMAGES ON BEHALF OF THE STATE OR ANY OF ITS 3
144	144	POLITICAL SUBDIVISIO NS AGAINST A DIRECTO R, AN OFFICER, A PARTNER, A 4
145	145	TRUSTEE, A MANAGER, OR ANY OTHER AGENT O F A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATI ON THAT 5
146	146	VIOLATES SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION. 6
147	147
148	148	(2) IN AN ACTION FILED UN DER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS 7
149	149	SUBSECTION, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL MAY NOT SEEK LESS THAN $1,000,000 IN 8
150	150	DAMAGES. 9
151	151
152	152	(D) (1) A PERSON HARMED BY A V IOLATION OF SUBSECTI ON (B) OF THIS 10
153	153	SECTION MAY BRING AN ACTION FOR INJUNCTIV E RELIEF AND ACTUAL DAMAGES 11
154	154	AGAINST A DIRECTOR , AN OFFICER, A PARTNER, A TRUSTEE, A MANAGER, OR ANY 12
155	155	OTHER AGENT OF A NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT VIOLATES SUBSEC TION (B) OF 13
156	156	THIS SECTION. 14
157	157
158	158	(2) IN ADDITION TO INJUNCTIVE REL IEF AND ACTUAL DAMAG ES, A 15
159	159	COURT MAY AWARD ATTO RNEY’S FEES TO A PREVAILI NG PLAINTIFF. 16
160	160
161	161	(E) ON NOTICE FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OR A PREVAILI NG 17
162	162	PLAINTIFF OF A JUDGM ENT ENTERED AGAINST A NONPROFIT ORGANIZA TION 18
163	163	UNDER THIS SECTION , THE SECRETARY OF STATE SHALL REMOVE TH E NONPROFIT 19
164	164	ORGANIZATION FROM TH E REGISTRY OF CHARITABLE SOLICITATION. 20
165	165
166	166	(F) AN ACTION UNDER THIS SECTION: 21
167	167
168	168	(1) MAY BE BROUGHT IN ANY COUNTY IN THE STATE; AND 22
169	169
170	170	(2) SHALL BE FILED WITHIN 10 YEARS AFTER THE DATE OF THE 23
171	171	OCCURRENCE OF THE ACT ON WHICH THE CLAIM IS B ASED. 24
172	172
173	173	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 25
174	174	October 1, 2025. 26
175	175