Potential Floor Vote: Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025
Ohio House Bill 188 would create a new “Ohio–Israel Trade and Innovation Partnership,” a state entity designed to promote economic, academic, and policy ties with Israel, including “mutual investment” in Israel’s infrastructure and industries.
This bill would redirect state resources and priorities away from meeting urgent local needs and into a foreign political partnership. Rather than focusing on feeding families, funding schools, or strengthening Ohio’s infrastructure, HB 188 commits state energy and attention to advancing Israel’s economic and political interests.
ACTION ALERT: Tell Ohio Lawmakers to VOTE NO on HB 188
What HB 188 Would Do:
Create a 17-member “Ohio-Israel Trade and Innovation Partnership” made up of:
Six legislators with ties or “interest in Israeli affairs”
Eight members appointed by the Governor (including representatives from the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, JobsOhio, and Ohio Jewish Communities)
Three state officials (Lieutenant Governor, Chancellor of Higher Education, and Director of Development)
Hold hearings across Ohio and issue annual reports to the Governor and legislature.
Institutionalize political and economic collaboration between Ohio and Israel — embedding foreign policy priorities into state law.
Why HB 188 Is Harmful:
Normalizes partnership with an apartheid regime under investigation for war crimes in Gaza.
Politicizes Ohio’s economy and universities, forcing collaboration with Israeli entities tied to surveillance, weapons manufacturing, and displacement of Palestinians.
Undermines Ohio’s moral credibility by aligning with a government committing human rights violations instead of investing in justice and care at home.
Call Script
“Hi, my name is [Your Name], and I’m a constituent from [City, ZIP Code].
I’m calling to urge Representative [Name] to vote NO on House Bill 188.
HB 188 would create an Ohio–Israel Trade and Innovation Partnership, a state commission to deepen political and economic ties with Israel.
This bill rewards a government accused of war crimes and apartheid, while Ohio families are struggling:
Thousands have lost SNAP benefits,
Funding for food banks has been cut,
Schools and local programs remain underfunded.
Ohio shouldn’t build political partnerships with a government under international investigation for targeting civilians, churches, hospitals, and schools. Even an Ohio veteran and teacher was detained for five days in Israel before being released—that’s not a government we should reward.
If lawmakers want to promote fair and transparent trade, they should support HB 291, the bipartisan alternative that strengthens international partnerships without aligning Ohio with human-rights abuses.
Please tell Representative [Name] to stand for justice, accountability, and Ohio’s people, and vote NO on HB 188.
Thank you for your time.
Contacts
All Members of Ohio House of Representatives
Email Template
Subject: Vote NO on HB 188: Don’t Make Ohio Complicit
Dear Ohio House Representatives:
I’m writing to urge you to vote NO on House Bill 188. HB 188 would create a state-funded Ohio–Israel Trade and Innovation Partnership, rewarding Israel with a special trade commission despite its ongoing human rights violations and documented abuses against U.S. citizens.
Israel has repeatedly been accused of war crimes, apartheid, and genocide. It has imprisoned American citizens, including Palestinians and humanitarian workers, and continues to refuse the return of Americans held in its prisons. One of them, an Ohio veteran and teacher, was mistreated and detained under brutal conditions.
Establishing a trade partnership with a government that violates international law and human rights would make Ohio complicit in that injustice. It sends the wrong message at the wrong time and puts our state on the wrong side of history.
Meanwhile, Ohio families are struggling:
Tens of thousands have lost SNAP benefits, even as hunger and poverty rise.
Our schools, healthcare systems, and housing programs remain chronically underfunded.
Local governments are stretched thin, trying to meet community needs with dwindling resources.
If lawmakers want to expand trade, there’s already a bipartisan alternative, HB 291, which promotes fair, global trade and innovation without rewarding human rights abusers. That’s the kind of leadership Ohio needs.
Please stand with Ohio’s families, uphold human rights, and be on the right side of history.
Vote NO on HB 188 and support HB 291 instead.
Ohio’s resources should serve our communities, not a foreign government that oppresses others.
Sincerely,
[Your Full Name]
[Your City, ZIP Code]
[Optional: Phone Number]
