Maryland Inches Closer to Pension Fund Divestment in Sudan-linked Companies
The bills – HB 1336 and SB 543 – give the trustees a say in how and when the divestiture should occur, but bar the system from making any future investments in such firms, according to the Baltimore Sun.
The Senate unanimously passed the measure this week, following the House last week. Final passage of the bill requires that at least one chamber sign off on the other’s bill, which is expected before the General Assembly’s 2007 session ends April 9.
The legislation forces the State Retirement and Pension
System’s board of trustees to divest holdings which
were estimated at $203.7 million as of January 31 and
include 14 foreign-based companies with ties to the
Sudanese government (See
Maryland Lawmakers Push for Pension System
Divestment of Sudan-Linked Investments
).
If the measure goes through, Maryland would join other states such as North Carolina , Maine , New Jersey , and the Colorado House (See Colorado House Passes Sudan Divestment Bill ) that have passed similar legislation to force their public pension systems to divest their holdings in Sudan-linked companies.
Illinois legislators’ efforts to protest the atrocities in Sudan by divestiture of pension holdings have been met with opposition in the court system (See Court Blocks Illinois Sudan Law ) The U.S. District Court for the District of Illinois ruled in February that a state law limiting pension investments and banking business with those companies was unconstitutional because it violated the federal government’s right to regulate foreign commerce.