We saw this coming and it happened today, January 5th. Lt.Gov.Dan Patrick and Sen. Lois Kohlkorst (R) Brennan said said they have filed a bill SB-6 that would prohibit governments from regulating private businesses' bathroom policies and also would require residents to use the bathroom that corresponds to the gender on their birth certificates in government and educational facilities. Sound Familiar? This is just another copy of HB 2 in North Carolina.
Because Texas has the 10th Largest Economy in the world, Patrick believes that the Texas Economy will not be damaged! "We have the 10th-largest economy in the world. We will continue to grow," Patrick said. He said Houston voters' decision to quash an equal rights ordinance in November 2015 has not hurt the city: "I am not aware of any business that didn't move to Houston because of that. The Super Bowl is still teed up for 5:30 p.m. February 5 in Houston.”
On November 3rd 2016 -Delivering a hit to the Texas gay rights movement, Houston voters resoundingly rejected an ordinance that would have established protections from discrimination for gay and transgender residents and several other classes.
With 95 percent of votes counted, 61 percent of voters opposed the measure. The embattled ordinance, better known as HERO, would have made it illegal to discriminate against someone based on 15 different “protected characteristics,” including sex, race, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity. Dubbing it “the bathroom ordinance,” they argued the ordinance’s gender identity protection would allow sexual predators to enter women’s bathrooms. Outside of polling places, signs read “NO Men in Women’s Bathrooms.” And television ads bankrolled by opponents depicted a young girl being followed into a bathroom stall by a mysterious older man.
Ahead of the vote, Republican state leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbottand Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, cited the bathroom arguments in lending their political muscle to the campaign opposing the anti-discrimination ordinance. On Tuesday, Patrick attributed the defeat of the “misguided” ordinance to voters standing up to “pandering to political correctness.”
So this brings us up to date. Not seeing major damage to the Houston economy or the cancellation of the Super Bowl on February 5th 2017 Patrick has decided to march ahead in CONFIDENCE saying he will bet his career that SB 6 won’t hurt our economy in anyway.
But Chuck Smith, president and CEO of Equality Texas, a coalition of Texas businesses that advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights, said the proposed bill sounds a lot like laws that have sparked economic backlash in other states.
"From what was just described, it sounds like HB 2 in North Carolina. Clearly our Lieutenant Governor and Senator Kolkhorst have not learned from the debacle that happened in North Carolina and they are proceeding down a path that is going to cause chaos across the state," Smith said.
The bill filed in North Carolina has already had a sizable effect on the state's economy. In April 2016, for example, PayPal canceled plans for a global operations center in Charlotte that would have created 400 jobs, while the National Basketball Association pulled its 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte, which has an estimated $100 million economic impact. Several high-profile college sports events were also canceled, while high-profile musicians including Bruce Springsteen canceled concerts in the state.
Austin technology industry group TechNet immediately criticized the Texas bill. The group fears it could hurt local tech companies' ability to recruit workers to Texas.“Discriminatory legislation like Senate Bill 6 has no place in Texas. Our state has established itself as one of the nation’s strongest economies precisely because we value and embrace a talented and diverse workforce," reads the statement from TechNet. "Efforts like Senate Bill 6 threaten to upend this growth by hindering the recruitment of the best and brightest to live and work in Texas. Simply put: Texas must do all it can to ensure that it remains open to business for all. This means emphatically rejecting discriminatory legislation like Senate Bill 6.”
Also, The Texas Association of Business (TAB) has formally come out against discriminatory anti-LGBT legislation, including so-called “bathroom bills.”
The board of the state’s 4,300-member chamber of commerce overwhelmingly approved a resolution Friday opposing “legislation that is seen as discriminatory and would impact workforce recruitment and/or cause a negative economic impact on the state,” according to TAB’s president, Chris Wallace.
Wallace stated that TAB members want to avoid the type of backlash North Carolina experienced over House Bill 2, which nullifies local nondiscrimination ordinances and requires trans people to use restrooms based on the sex they were assigned at birth. The law has cost the Tar Heel State an estimated $395 million, including the loss of the NCAA Final Four and NBA All-Star Game.
“We don’t want economic fallout here because of legislative action that could be prevented,” Wallace said. “We know it’s going to be a top issue, and because of that, business has to speak up.”
But here we are once again dealing with Anti-LGBTQ laws being introduced again and it is time for EVERYONE to speak out. Today, right now, is the moment we must all collaborate and start calling, e-mailing and writing our Senators and State Representatives DAILY! As we saw with the House Ethics Committee we do have the power in our hands to stop legislation like S.B.6 becoming Law!!
I am writing this to spread the word to all groups and people on Social Media to connect and make calls from all over the United States. We must all stand up together — NAACP, ACLU, Human Rights Campaign, Planned Parenthood and so many others. We must unite to stop these hate laws that say “We are less than” to the LGBTQ Community.
Please Call TX Lt.Gov Dan Patrick at (512) 463-0001 and State Sen. Lois Kohlkorst (R) of Brenna at (512)-463-0118.
If you live in Texas call the Senator that represents your district. If you are not sure of your district here is the link that will inform you using your home address www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/...
Texas Senate
The mailing address for all Senators in Austin is:
P.O. Box 12068 Austin, Texas 78711-2068 FAX: (512) 463-0326
Senate email: firstname.lastname@senate.state.tx.us
example: dawn.buckingham@senate.texas.gov
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SHARE THIS ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM AND EVERY OTHER FORM OF SOCIAL MEDIA. WE MUST LET TEXAS KNOW OUR VOICES AND BOYCOTTS WORK!
Sunday, Jan 8, 2017 · 1:01:53 AM +00:00
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Kevin1957
Update Jan.7,2016 from Austin, TX
Today
Backlash over the state's efforts to pass a so-called "bathroom bill" seeking to ban transgender people from using public restrooms matching their sexual identities has begun, with noted author Rick Riordan declining an invitation by the Texas Legislature to attend an upcoming celebration of authors.
On Friday afternoon, Riordian—author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series—tweeted his disapproval of the legislative efforts in declining the invitation, the Texas Tribune reported. Championed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and fellow conservatives, Senate Bill 6 was filed on Thursday to enact controls over transgender individuals' use of public bathrooms.
In touting the proposed law, Patrick has framed it as a safeguard against potential sexual assault of women and children by transgender people with unfettered access to bathrooms.
In a single tweet Saturday morning, prolific author Riordan made his feelings known about the newly filed bill: "If they want to honor me, they could stop this nonsense," he wrote succinctly.
“Just turned down an invite to be honored by TX state legislature as a Texas author. If they want to honor me, they could stop this nonsense.”
Despite widespread opposition to the proposed law, Patrick shepherded the bill's filing after touring the nation in espousing it on current affairs programs. Prominent business organizations have warned the proposed legislation could result in the loss of billions of dollars in lost revenue, pointing to states that have implemented similar laws only to see revenue losses as a result of boycotts and cancelled conventions as protest.
A native of San Antonio, Riordanis a New York Times best-selling author of more than 20 novels for young readers, including the Percy Jackson series, the Kane Chronicles, the Magnus Chase series and the Trials of Apollo, according to information found on his website. He is also the author of the multi-award-winning Tres Navarre mystery series for adults. For fifteen years, the author has taught English and history at public and private middle schools in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Texas. While teaching in San Antonio, Saint Mary’s Hall honored him with the school’s first Master Teacher Award.