Stop HB 188: Keep Our Tax $ in Ohio!
Committee Vote: Wednesday, October 29, 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.
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
Rep. James M. Hoops (R-81) | Chair of Ohio House Development Committee
Rep. Brian Lorenz (R-60) | Vice Chair of Ohio House Development Committee
Rep. Karen Brownlee (D-28) | Ranking Member of Ohio House Development Committee
Rep. Munira Abdullahi (D-09) | Member of Ohio House Development Committee
Rep. Levi Dean (R-71) | Member of Ohio House Development Committee
Rep. Steve Demetriou (R-35) | Member of Ohio House Development Committee
Rep. Tex Fischer (R-59) | Member of Ohio House Development Committee
Rep. Mark Johnson (R-92) | Member of Ohio House Development Committee
Rep. Jeff LaRe (R-73) | Member of Ohio House Development Committee
Rep. Nick Santucci (R-64) | Member of Ohio House Development Committee
Rep. Ty Mathews (R-83) | Member of Ohio House Development Committee
Rep. Mark Sigrist (R-10) | Member of Ohio House Development Committee
Rep. Terrence Upchurch (D-20) | Member of Ohio House Development Committee
Email Template
Subject: Vote NO on HB 188: Don’t Reward Human Rights Abusers
Dear Ohio House Development Committee:
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]
How to Submit Testimony
Committee Hearing (Likely up for a vote): Wednesday, October 29, 2025 | 9:45 AM in Room 122
Write Your Testimony
See testimony template here, make a copy of the google doc and edit it with your information and testimony.
For written testimony, no length limit, but Representatives often don’t read after the first page.
Testimony Tips
Keep it short (2–3 minutes / 1 page written).
Introduce yourself (name, city, connection to issue).
State your opposition clearly: “I urge the committee to reject HB 188.”
Share 2–3 reasons — cuts to basic needs, exclusion, ethics, lack of transparency.
Close with a values statement: “This is about Ohio’s integrity and priorities.”
2. Fill Out a Witness Slip
Fill it out and email it along with your testimony and attach witness slip and testimony and request in person oral testimony or written only testimony
Download Witness Slip: PDF version | Word Doc version
3. Email your testimony AND witness slip to the Committee
Send your Committee email: OHRDevelopmentCommittee@ohiohouse.gov and Zachary.Groome@ohiohouse.gov & BCC: victoria@yusraorganizing.org (for count/tracking purposes) by Tuesday, October 28 at 9:45 AM:
TESTIMONY & WITNESS SLIP MUST BE SENT AS A WORD DOC OR PDF ATTACHMENT
This records your written testimony as submitted.
In your email, please indicate that this is an in-person testimony if you plan to speak, but know that the accepted amount of in-person testimony is extremely limited. You should still show up to pack the room.
Sample Submission Email
Dear Ohio House Development Committee Members,
Attached please find my written testimony in opposition to HB 188 for the hearing on October 29.
I respectfully request that it be included in the official record [and that I be permitted to deliver it in-person].
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
[Your Full Name]
[City, OH]
