
The Florida Senate has unanimously passed an anti-Semitism bill, JTA reported on Tuesday.
The discussion and vote took place on Monday, according to the report. The senators held a moment of silence for the victims of the Chabad of Poway shooting before the discussion.
Using the State Department definition as its template, the legislation defines as anti-Semitism calls for violence against Jews, advancing conspiracy theories about Jewish control and Holocaust denial.
The measure also mandates that discrimination against Jewish people be treated the same as acts of racial discrimination in Florida’s public education institutions.
The bill will move on to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his signature, according to JTA. It had been passed unanimously three weeks ago by the state House of Representatives.
DeSantis, a longtime supporter of Israel, will travel to the Jewish state next month for a weeklong visit, his first official international trip. The trip will include a Florida Cabinet meeting at the US Embassy in Jerusalem.
Shortly after he was elected, DeSantis promised to be aggressive in the fight against the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
He later denounced Airbnb when it imposed restrictions on bookings in Judea and Samaria. As a result of Airbnb’s position, Governor DeSantis placed the company on Florida’s Scrutinized Companies List.
Airbnb announced in early April that it will not remove listings in Israeli towns in Judea and Samaria from its website, as part of a court settlement with American Jewish plaintiffs who had sued the company.