State and Local Sanctions Watch List

Based on information supplied by the Organization for International Investment (OFII).
Entries in BOLD have been added or changed from the previous report.

Last Updated March, 2000

State/Municipality	Target Country	Description	Status
PENDING MEASURES
Massachusetts	Indonesia	House Bill 3165. Selective Investment. Divests and ceases investment of state pension funds in any financial institution doing business with the Indonesian government or any company doing business in Indonesia.	Introduced and referred to the Joint Committee on Public Service on 1/6/99. A hearing was held on 3/30/99. In House Rules study 4244 as of 4/8/99.
	Indonesia	House Bill 3177. Selective Purchasing and Investment. Amends the embargoed sanctions law to include companies doing business in Indonesia.	Introduced and referred to the Joint Committee on Public Administration on 1/6/99. The committee will hold a hearing on 6/2/99. Referred to House Ways and Means 6/28/99.
Massachusetts	Multiple (1)	House Bill 3369. Selective Investment. Divests and ceases investment of state pension funds in any financial institution doing business in Burma or Indonesia	Introduced and referred to the Joint Committee on Public Service on 1/6/99. A hearing was held on 3/30/99. In House Rules study 4244 as of 4/8/99.
New York	Burma	Assembly Bill 5901. Selective Purchasing.	Introduced and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations on 3/2/99.
New York, NY	Sudan	Intro 555. Selective Purchasing and Investment.	Introduced and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations on 9/17/98 as Intro 414 targeting Sudan and Laos. Intro 555 only targets Sudan. There will be a hearing on 10/4/99.
INACTIVE / FAILED MEASURES
California	Burma	Assembly Bill 888. Selective purchasing and investment	The committee rejected the bill on 1/12/98.
Connecticut	Burma	House Bill 6354. Selective purchasing.	Not reintroduced for the 1998 session.
Davis, CA	Burma	Resolution. Selective purchasing.	Received no Council support. Further consideration is unlikely.
Maryland	Nigeria	Senate Bill 354 & House Bill 1273. Selective purchasing and investment. Prohibit the state from purchasing goods or services from and/or entering into a contract with, or depositing or investing funds in companies doing business in Nigeria.	SB 354 introduced and referred to the Economic and Environmental Affairs Committee on 2/5/98. HB 1273 introduced and referred to the Commerce and Governmental Matters Committee on 2/23/98. The EEA Committee held a hearing on SB 354 and voted to discontinue consideration of the measure on 3/25/98.
Minneapolis, MN	Burma	Selective purchasing. Requires full disclosure of business activity in Burma by city bidders. The bill will not prohibit the city from contracting with companies doing business in Burma.	Introduced and referred to the Intergovernmental Relations Committee on 2/6/98. It was discussed and referred to the Ways and Means Committee on 2/19/98. At a 4/21/98 hearing the Committee returned the measure to its author. Further consideration is highly unlikely .
New York	Multiple (2)	Assembly Bill 5753. Selective licensing.	Not reintroduced to the 1998 cycle.
New York	Burma	Assembly Bill 9147 (A). Selective purchasing. Prohibits the state from purchasing goods or services from companies doing business in Burma. Providers of news and telecommunications are excepted.	Introduced and referred to the Governmental Operations Committee on 1/29/98. On 5/13/98 the committee voted to discontinue consideration of the measure.
North Carolina	Burma	Senate Bill 1054. Selective purchasing.	Failed on 8/28/97 when the legislature adjourned for the year.
Rhode Island	Indonesia	House Bill 6721. Selective investment.	Not reintroduced to the 1998 session.
		Senate Bill 984. Selective purchasing and investment.	Not reintroduced to the 1998 session.
Seattle, WA	Burma	Selective purchasing.	Council passed a non-binding resolution and indicated it will take no further action.
Texas	Burma	House Bill 2960. Selective purchasing and investment.	Following a 4/23/97 hearing, the State Affairs Committee decided not to vote on the bill.
Texas	Burma	House Bill 1094. Selective purchasing.	House Committee on State Affairs held a hearing on 5/3/99. The legislature has adjourned for the year.
Vermont	Burma	House Bill 679. Selective purchasing.	Proponents of HB 679 supported a non-binding resolution, JRH 157, in lieu of HB 679. The resolution passed the House on 4/10/98 and the Senate on 4/18/98. The legislature has adjourned for the year.
Maine	Burma	Legislative Document 2194. Selective purchasing and Investment. Requires the state to divest pension funds from any company doing business in Burma in addition to selective purchasing.	Introduced and referred to the Labor Committee on 4/13/99. The bill has been carried over until next session.
Rhode Island	Indonesia	House Bill 6424. Selective Investment. Divests state and pension funds from all companies doing business in Indonesia.	Introduced and referred to the Committee on Finance 4/28/99. The legislature has adjourned for the year.
State/Municipality	Target Country	Description	Status
LAW
Alameda County, CA	Burma	Selective purchasing and investment.	Enacted December 1996.
Alameda County, CA	Nigeria	Selective purchasing and investment.	Enacted October 1997.
Amherst, MA	Nigeria	Selective purchasing and investment.	Enacted September 1997.
Ann Arbor, MI	Burma	Selective purchasing.	Enacted April 1996.
Berkeley, CA	Burma	Selective purchasing.	Enacted March 1995.
Berkeley, CA	Nigeria	Selective purchasing.	Enacted July 1997.
Berkeley, CA	Tibet	Selective purchasing.	Enacted June 1997.
Boulder, CO	Burma	Selective purchasing.	Enacted December 1996.
Brookline, MA	Burma	Selective purchasing.	Enacted November 1997.
Cambridge, MA	Nigeria	Selective purchasing.	Enacted May 1997.
Cambridge, MA	Burma	Selective purchasing.	Enacted June 1998.
Cambridge, MA	Indonesia	Selective purchasing.	Enacted August 1998.
Carrboro, NC	Burma	Selective purchasing.	Enacted October 1996.
Chapel Hill, NC	Burma	Selective purchasing.	Enacted January 1997.
Dade County, FL	Cuba (3)	Selective purchasing and investment.	Enacted July 1992. Updated June 1993
Los Angeles	Burma	Selective Purchasing. (4)	Enacted December 1998.
Madison, WI	Burma	Selective purchasing.	Enacted August 1996.
Massachusetts	Burma	Selective purchasing.	Enacted July 1996.
New York, NY	Burma	Selective purchasing and investment.	Enacted May 1997.
Newton, MA	Burma	Selective purchasing.	Enacted November 1997.
North Olmstead, OH	General (5)	Selective purchasing.	Enacted February 1998
Oakland, CA	Nigeria	Selective purchasing and investment.	Enacted May 1997.
Oakland, CA	Burma	Selective purchasing and investment.	Enacted May 1996.
Palo Alto, CA	Burma	Selective purchasing and investment.	Enacted October 1997.
Philadelphia, PA	Northern Ireland	Selective purchasing	Enacted 1989. Amended 1991, 1994, 1995.
Portland, OR	Burma	Selective purchasing.	Enacted July 1998.
Quincy, MA	Burma	Selective purchasing.	Enacted November 1997.
San Francisco, CA	Burma	Selective purchasing.	Enacted April 1995.
Santa Cruz, CA	Burma	Selective purchasing and investment.	Enacted July 1997.
Santa Monica, CA	Burma	Selective purchasing.	Enacted November 1995.
Somerville, MA	Burma	Selective purchasing.	Enacted February 1998.
Takoma Park, MD	Burma	Selective purchasing.	Enacted October 1996.
Vermont	Burma	Selective investment.	Enacted May 1999.
West Hollywood, CA	Burma	Selective purchasing.	Enacted October 1997.
California	General (7)	Regulatory Sanction	Enacted September 1998
Washington	General (7)	Regulatory Sanction	Enacted 7/25/99
California	General (8)	Regulatory Sanction	Enacted 9/10/99

 

Notes
1	Indonesia and Burma
2	Targets financial institutions determined to be in illegal possession or funds belonging to victims of the holocaust.
3	Broadened to include companies violating the Cuban Liberty and Democracy Act.
4	Includes exemptions for contracts under $1,000 and over $25,000, certain sectors and several types of contracts, in the case of "significant loss of quality" or where enforcement would be "contrary to the best interests of the City."
5	Targets countries where "sweatshop" labor is employed, defined as a) child labor; b) forced labor; c) unlivable wage rates; d) long work hours (more than 48 hours)
6	Targets any insurance company with policies with holocaust victims where survivors were denied policy proceeds
7	Targets any insurance company with policies with holocaust victims where survivors were denied policy proceeds
8	Targets any insurance company with policies with holocaust victims where survivors were denied policy proceeds
The information contained in this report was compiled by the Organization for International Investment (OFII). Please call (202) 659-1903 if you have any additions or changes to the report, are aware of state and municipal measures not listed here, or know of a change in a measure's status. Entries in BOLD have been added or changed from the previous report. Other information about OFII and this report is available on-line at: www.ofii.org.