Testimony — Jawhara Qutiefan, AMP Columbus, on HB 188 (October 29, 2025)

Summary

Testimony of Jawhara Qutiefan, co-president of AMP Columbus, at the House Development Committee hearing on HB 188 dated October 29, 2025. The testimony opposes House Bill 188, which it describes as sending $10 million of Ohio's tax dollars into a partnership with Israel from the General Revenue Fund. It states that the bill would embed JobsOhio into a commission and asks why the $10 million is not directed to small grocers, farmers and local startups. It urges the committee to reject the bill and vote NO on HB 188.

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House Development Committee Hearing on HB 188​
October 29, 2025 — Testimony of Jawhara Qutiefan

Chair Hoops, Vice Chair Lorenz, and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity
to testify today. My name is Jawhara Qutiefan, and I am the co-president of AMP Columbus,
member of the Ohio divest steering committee, a business owner, mother, and a lifelong
Ohioan.

I am here to speak strongly in opposition to House Bill 188, which would send $10 million of
Ohio’s tax dollars into a partnership with Israel.

This money would come from the General Revenue Fund — the very fund meant to pay for our
schools, healthcare, public safety, and support for struggling families. Every dollar in this Fund
matters. Families in my community are already making impossible choices between rent,
childcare, and groceries. Small businesses and farmers are under pressure. and with SNAP
cuts coming from the federal level, supermarkets and farms across Ohio will feel the squeeze
even harder. That is exactly why we should be investing here at home — in Ohio families, Ohio
startups, Ohio farms — not in a foreign government.

The truth is, HB 188 will not create meaningful opportunities for Ohioans. What it does is
guarantee seats for pro-Israel organizations, exclude nuetral ohioans, Palestinian ohioans and
Arab-American voices, and embed JobsOhio — an entity already criticized for lack of
transparency — into a commission that has no accountability to the public. This is not an
economic development bill. It is a political partnership designed to mediate Israel’s image at a
time when the world is watching its human rights record with grave concern.

As a Palestinian American, I cannot ignore how directly this legislation touches my community.
A partnership like this not only silences Palestinian Ohioans — it risks tying our state to
companies and institutions who are complicit in illegal settlements, war crimes, and ongoing
violations of international law, apartheid, genocide and the list goes on. That is not what
Ohioans want their tax dollars to support.

If this committee’s mission is truly economic development, then I ask you: why aren’t we
investing this $10 million in the small grocers in your districts, who will lose customers when
SNAP cuts hit? Why not direct it to farmers and local startups, who could turn every dollar into
jobs and growth for Ohio? Why prioritize a foreign partnership over the needs of Ohioans?

HB 188 is the wrong fund, the wrong time, and the wrong message. It sends a signal that Ohio
cares more about international politics than about the people who live here and pay taxes here.

I urge you to reject this bill and stand with Ohio families, small businesses, and farms. Please
vote NO on HB 188.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope you make the right choice.


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