Arkansas Attorney General Griffin co-leads 25-state coalition in letter expressing concern over antisemitism at Columbia University amid calls for divestment from Israel

LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin today issued the following statement that he and South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson have sent a letter on behalf of 23 other state attorneys general to Columbia University about the rise of antisemitism on its campus from groups promoting boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) against Israel:

“Since the Hamas attack on Israel last October, antisemitism has grown on university campuses, including Columbia University. Earlier this month, one Columbia anti-Israel student group advocating divestment rescinded its apology of a member’s remark about killing Zionists.

“In spite of antisemitic protests on its campus, Columbia has held the line against the BDS movement and should be commended for it. Our coalition urges Columbia to continue this position in the face of antisemitism from pro-Palestinian student groups while balancing student speech rights.”

In August, Griffin led a coalition of 24 state attorneys general in a letter urging Brown University to reject a proposal that the university divest from certain companies because they do business with Israel, thus triggering anti-BDS laws in several states. On October 9, the Brown Corporation announced that it rejected the proposal backed by student protestors who demanded the vote as a condition to disperse.

To read the letter, click here.

Columbia University - Wikimedia Commons Image

Arkansas public education coalition again revises proposed ballot measure targeting voucher rulesV

KUAR | By Antoinette Grajeda / Arkansas Advocate

An Arkansas coalition attempting to amend the state Constitution’s education clause submitted its fourth proposal to the attorney general Thursday.

The goal of the Arkansas Educational Rights Amendment of 2024 is to require the same academic and accreditation standards for public and private schools that receive state funding.

The most significant change to For AR Kids’ proposed ballot language is defining receipt of state or local funds as the school, a student attending the school or the student’s parents or guardians receiving “any State or local funds, property, or tax credits to cover or defray, in whole or part, the costs of any student attending the school.”

Arkansas public education coalition again revises proposed ballot measure targeting voucher rules

John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate

For AR Kids Vice President April Reisma presented the bill on Dec. 21, 2023, now the Attorney General is being asked to approve it for the 4th time.

Rutledge joins coalition opposing DOT's Highway Emission Rule

LITTLE ROCK— Attorney General Leslie Rutledge joined a 20-state coalition in filing comments before the Biden administration’s Department of Transportation (DOT) to push back against a rule proposal requiring all fifty states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia to reduce on-road CO2 emissions to net-zero by 2050. The coalition of attorneys general argues that Congress has not given the DOT authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

“This proposed rule shows that the Biden Administration once again has demonstrated its lack of regard for the separation of powers,” said Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. “The Biden Administration does not have the authority to require states to implement federal regulatory programs.”

Attorney General Rutledge and the coalition noted their concerns that DOT’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) overstepped its legal authority by proposing this measure. The coalition writes, “Given the Supreme Court recently made clear in West Virginia v. EPA that even the EPA cannot use its existing authority to take unprecedented and unauthorized actions to address climate change, such action is clearly beyond the authority Congress has given FHWA.”

The coalition also makes clear that the proposed measure violates the principles of federalism by requiring states to implement a federal regulatory program. The attorneys general note that the Supreme Court has said that “the Constitution protects us from our own best intentions: It divides power among sovereigns and among branches of government precisely so that we may resist the temptation to concentrate power in one location as an expedient solution to the crisis of the day.”

Further, the attorneys general note that FHWA issued a similar rule, which was repealed after the agency determined that the measure may duplicate “existing efforts in some States” and imposed “unnecessary burdens on State DOTs and MPOs [metropolitan planning organizations] that were not contemplated by Congress.”

Attorney General Rutledge was joined by the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky,  Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Read the coalition’s comments here.

‘Vaccinate The Natural State’ Coalition Forms

by Steve Brawner (BRAWNERSTEVE@MAC.COM)

A coalition led by Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield will attempt to educate Arkansans about the COVID-19 vaccine and ask employers to take a pledge that they will “strongly encourage” their employees to be vaccinated.

The “Vaccinate The Natural State” initiative (www.VaccinateTheNaturalState.com) was announced at a press conference Feb. 22 led by Curtis Barnett, Blue Cross president and CEO.

Partners include the Arkansas Department of Health, Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care, the Arkansas Minority Health Commission, the Northwest Arkansas Council, UAMS and Walmart.

https://talkbusiness.net/2021/02/vaccinate-the-natural-state-coalition-forms/