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Opponent Testimony on HB 291 — Heather Cantino, SE Ohio Jewish Voice for Peace Athens

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Opponent testimony on HB 291 from Heather Cantino of SE Ohio Jewish Voice for Peace Athens, addressed to Committee Chair Hoops and the Development Committee members. Cantino urges the committee to reject the bill and argues that it would codify permanent political influence by foreign nations over Ohio, citing the anti-BDS laws codified in ORC 9.76. The testimony objects to a permanent commission seat for someone who represents "Israeli-American communities or interests," to joint cybersecurity and electronic warfare projects with Israel, and to a commission with no defined budget cap or performance goals. It asks the committee to vote NO.

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“Opponent Testimony on HB 291 — Heather Cantino, SE Ohio Jewish Voice for Peace Athens.” Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2025-06-18-development-testimony-testimony-10479-ac5d195215/, SHA-256 5271c2967bafbaa3705fe2857c436c9e0a92c2d6d53f2c00f32e55e564b705d4.

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          Heather Cantino opponent testimony on HB 291

          Dear Committee Chair Hoops and Development Committee members:

          I urge you to reject HB 291, which would codify the permanent political in uence by
          foreign nations over Ohio and Ohioans. This is contrary to our national interests and
          Ohio sovereignty and is especially dangerous because anti-BDS laws codi ed in ORC
          9.76 could prevent future alteration or termination of the business relationship with
          Israel and thus make the dangerous in uence by this particular foreign nation become
          permanent control over our state government. As an American Jew who has been
          horri ed by the complicity of our federal and state government in Israel’s ongoing
          destruction of Palestinian territories and starvation of the entire population of Gaza—
          now deemed genocide by numerous international bodies and international human
          rights laws— I stand in strong opposition to this dangerous sacri ce of Ohio’s integrity
          and constitutional responsibilities.

          This bill would open Ohio to become a tool of unregulated foreign lobbying and to
          being a puppet serving Israel’s dangerous and increasingly deadly militarized foreign
          policy agendas.

          I am particularly concerned by speci cs of this dangerous legislation, including:
          • A permanent seat on the commission for someone who represents “Israeli-American
            communities or interests.” Who decides this and what those interests are and
            whether they serve the public good?
          • Speci c emphasis on establishing joint cybersecurity and electronic warfare projects
            with Israel. This legislation would facilitate Israeli government and military contractor
            access to Ohio research infrastructure and create pipelines for companies like Anduril
            Industries (which builds AI-powered drones and surveillance towers) to collaborate on
            weapons systems, hypersonic missiles, or digital warfare tools. Even Ohio’s public
            universities, labs, and agencies could become complicit in the global militarized
            surveillance economy without any public oversight or determination of compliance
            with US and international laws and constitutional obligations.
          • Cybersecurity Threats: Israel’s Pegasus spyware (NSO Group) was used to hack the
            phones of U.S. diplomats, journalists, and civil society leaders. Paragon’s spyware
            tools (Graphite) have targeted European journalists. These technologies have been
            used without accountability, and this bill opens the door to unregulated tech
            exchange and experimentation in Ohio.
          • Privacy & Oversight: There are no checks and balances in this bill to protect Ohioans’
            data, taxpayer dollars, or democratic processes. Ohio could be complicit in
            expanding surveillance tech used against activists, journalists, and communities
            abroad. HB 291 creates an international commission with no de ned budget cap or
            performance goals.
          • These elements give Israel privileged institutional access to in uence Ohio’s
            economy, technology development, and potentially even infrastructure policy.
          •




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I am also very concerned by the pay-to-play provisions that make those with money
and power able to direct Ohio’s economy to become a war machine without any public
accountability or oversight, regard for civil liberties or compliance with US and
international law and constitutional mandates.

Allowing foreign governments control over Ohio’s policies, economy and well-being is
antithetical to American democracy and sovereignty..

Please vote NO on this very dangerous, unconstitutional and immoral, undemocratic
legislation.

Heather Cantino
SE Ohio Jewish Voice for Peace
Athens

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