Subject: FW: HB2 is bad for business
From: "Meloy, Sean" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 24 May 2016 15:03:48 -0700

Hello Friend,

I wanted to make sure you saw this article on how bad the Republican pushed anti-LGBT HB2 is for Charlotte and North Carolina overall.

Thanks,

Sean

Sean Meloy | LGBT Engagement Director
Democratic National Committee
O: (202) 572-5482
@MeloySM<https://twitter.com/MeloySM> | @LGBT_ Dems<https://twitter.com/lgbt_dems> | Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/lgbtdemocrats>
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See below story from Charlotte Observer on the havoc HB2 is wreaking on North Carolina’s economy. In Mecklenberg County alone, HB2 may cost up to $285 million in business and 1,300 jobs.

“When will Republicans learn that discrimination doesn’t pay? In fact, it hurts business and kills jobs. There’s an old saying that you can’t hold a man in a ditch without getting down there with him. The North Carolina GOP needs to think about how much longer they are willing to stay in the ditch to deny LGBT Americans their full and equal protection under the law.” – Earl Fowlkes, Chair of the DNC LGBT Caucus

Charlotte Chamber: HB2 losses top $285 million in Mecklenburg<http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article79503287.html>
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER // JIM MORRILL
Mecklenburg County has suffered an economic blow of $285 million and a loss of as many as 1,300 jobs as a result of House Bill 2, a new Charlotte Chamber report says.

The report also says inquiries about new economic development are down 58 percent since lawmakers passed the bill in March, and client visits down 69 percent from last year.

“We have said all along that the economic loss has been real, the risk of further loss is great, and this is potentially catastrophic to our economy,” Chamber President Bob Morgan said.

The report was distributed to Charlotte City Council members and some lawmakers. The council voted 7-4 Monday night against considering a repeal of the city ordinance that prompted lawmakers to pass HB2.

Some council members argued that rescinding the ordinance could prompt lawmakers to change the controversial law, which has led to celebrity boycotts and dueling lawsuits by the state and the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Chamber report said HB has cost:

·         $3.7 million in lost sales and property tax collections for the county.

·         $202.7 million in lost wages and benefits in the county.

·         $7.1 million in lost income and sales tax revenue for North Carolina and its counties.

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