McAuliffe invites Indiana firms to ‘open and welcoming’ Virginia

Last edited Tue Mar 31, 2015, 11:10 AM - Edit history (1)

The first quoted article mentions this in the last paragraph. Then I go to that article.

Ind. to ‘clarify’ new law decried as anti-gay

By Sandhya Somashekhar and Mark Berman March 30 at 8:32 PM

Republican lawmakers in Indiana promised Monday to amend a religious liberties bill that critics have labeled as anti-gay, bowing to protests that have rapidly spread to several other states considering similar measures.

Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma (R) said the legislature would act as soon as this week to “clarify” the state’s new Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which grants individuals and businesses legal grounds to defend themselves against claims of discrimination. The fix, Bosma said, would make clear that the law does not allow people to discriminate against gays, as critics contend.

{Fact Checker: Is this law ‘the same’ as the one Obama backed?}

Opponents of the measure say the fix suggested by Bosma and other Republicans is vague and probably insufficient. Meanwhile, criticism of the act, signed into law last week by Gov. Mike Pence (R), continued to mount.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook condemned the law in an op-ed in The Washington Post. [font color=red]Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) wrote a letter to the Indianapolis Star inviting business leaders troubled by the law to move to Virginia.[/font] The president of the NCAA hinted that the Indiana-based athletic organization may stop holding major events there. And the rock band Wilco canceled a May 7 show in Indianapolis.

{ Read the Cook piece: These laws are dangerous to America }

Virginia Politics

By Laura Vozzella March 30 at 5:29 PM

RICHMOND — Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is putting out the welcome mat for Indiana business leaders who might be troubled by that state’s new “religious freedom” law, which opponents say in effect legalizes anti-gay discrimination.

In a letter submitted Monday to the editor of the Indianapolis Star, McAuliffe (D) makes a pitch for relocating to “open and welcoming” Virginia. He ticks off the commonwealth’s traditional business-friendly assets — ranging from low taxes to the “deepest seaport on the East Coast” — and suggests that the Old Dominion’s gay rights climate should be part of the draw. ... “In Virginia, we do not discriminate against our friends and neighbors, particularly those who are supporting local businesses and generating economic activity,” he writes.

The gesture came as the Star reported Monday that leaders in Indiana’s General Assembly were trying to calm a backlash by looking for ways to clarify the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which Gov. Mike Pence (R) signed into law Thursday. Supporters say the law is needed to protect businesses, such as wedding photographers, from being forced to provide services for same-sex marriages if they oppose such unions on religious grounds.

{Indiana GOP leaders promise ‘clarification’ of law derided as anti-gay}
....

McAuliffe’s letter to the Star drew objections from Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation of Virginia, a group with sizeable sway in the Capitol. She sought to use his rosy portrayal of Virginia’s gay rights status as proof that there is no need to enshrine special protections in state law.

Posted: Monday, March 30, 2015 10:30 pm

By ANDREW CAIN Richmond Times-Dispatch
acain@timesdispatch.com
(804) 649-6645
@AndrewCainRTD

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is courting Indiana businesses amid the firestorm over that state’s religious freedom bill, which critics say allows companies to discriminate against gays.

McAuliffe has issued an open letter to Indiana business owners that proclaims “Virginia is open and welcoming to everyone.” A spokesman said the administration provided the letter to the Indianapolis Star and is sending it to Indiana businesses.