(HorizonPost.com) – The Florida legislature returned to Tallahassee on Monday for a special session during which the lawmakers will consider new proposed sanctions against Iran and vote on resolutions in support of Israel, the Associated Press reported.
Monday’s session opened with prayer and invocation delivered by Rabbi Yossi Harlig and 94-year-old Holocaust survivor and Miami resident David Schachter.
In the resolution filed last week, the lawmakers will condemn the threats against Jewish people and communities in Florida, the US, and abroad, including from those “committed to the extermination of the Jewish people.”
During the special session, the lawmakers will also take up a proposal by Governor Ron DeSantis to strengthen the state’s sanctions against companies doing business with Iran. They will also consider a measure to establish a $35 million grant program aimed at helping secure synagogues, Jewish schools, and other Jewish institutions.
Florida currently has sanctions against any company that directly does business with “countries of concern,” including Cuba, China, Iran, and Russia.
Florida lawmakers were already scheduled to be at the Capitol this week for committee meetings, which is why Republican leaders decided to hold the special session now.
Lawmakers will also tackle other issues including property insurance, hurricane relief, and expanding the state’s school choice program to provide additional funding for special needs students.
In a statement applauding the call for a special session, Governor Ron DeSantis said his proposed legislation strengthening sanctions on Iran would ensure that the state is not doing business with companies that “could in turn fund Hamas and other terrorist groups.”
DeSantis urged the legislature to “act swiftly” to pass the proposed sanctions to ensure that Florida is not sending “a penny to the Iranian terror state.”
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