AUSTIN, Tex. — One of the most powerful Republican officials in Texas put the state on the front lines of the nation’s culture wars on Thursday, announcing the filing of a bill that would require people in government buildings and in public schools to use the bathroom that corresponds with their “biological sex.”...
Democratic lawmakers, civil rights groups, gay and transgender rights activists, and the state’s most influential business lobby, the Texas Association of Business, swiftly condemned the legislation and predicted an economic blow to Texas if it passed.
“If it’s like H.B. 2 in North Carolina, it’s discriminatory, and it’s bad for business,” said Chris Wallace, the president of the business association, adding that the bill was likely to discourage corporate relocations to Texas and stop potential workers, particularly millennials, from coming. “We do not want our state to have an unwelcoming brand to future workers.”
Mr. Wallace said his organization would “fully engage” in an effort to block the measure in the Texas Legislature, which starts its 140-day session on Tuesday. A study commissioned by the business group found that North Carolina-style bills on bathroom access and other, similar measures could result in an economic loss in Texas ranging from $964 million to $8.5 billion, including the loss of up to 185,000 jobs....
The Texas version of the legislation, called Senate Bill 6, or the Texas Privacy Act, would prohibit cities and counties from telling private businesses what bathroom policies to adopt. In addition, local governments would be forbidden to consider a business’s bathroom policy when awarding contracts. The bill would also require school districts, local governments and state agencies to adopt a policy in which bathrooms are designated for and used by people according to their “biological sex,” with some exceptions, including for emergencies and custodial purposes.Protecting businesses from government regulations: you can see why business interests oppose it.
I'd say that it's more that they are cowards. They saw what was done to North Carolina, and don't want the leftist extremists to boycott their state.
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