A year later, HB2 has cost North Carolina millions. How much worse will it get?
As North Carolina marks the first anniversary of House Bill 2 this week, an ongoing political stalemate is making a prolonged economic backlash -- and future anniversaries -- likely.
The law, widely criticized as anti-LGBT, has cost North Carolinians jobs, money, performances and events, including this month's
"The longer it stays on our books, the more difficulty we will have repairing the damage," Democratic Gov.
It's also hard to predict what the ultimate cost will be -- so far, it's estimated that the controversial bill has cost the state more than half a billion dollars, and thousands of jobs.
An NAACP boycott over the Confederate flag in
Lawmakers tried to repeal the law in December but
The
Some fear that without a deadline, any sense of urgency will fade.
"This place operates on deadlines," said House Minority Leader
"If something isn't resolved probably by the courts fairly soon, this could be North Carolina's new environment," Bitzer said.
It also could continue to exacerbate tensions between urban and rural North Carolina, with implications for other policies.
Metro areas, typically more socially progressive, have lost the most business over HB2. Animosity toward Charlotte, in particular, was highlighted during a special session in December, which ultimately resulted in a failed attempt to repeal HB2. Republican Sen.
And the economic backlash is likely to continue.
The NBA moved its All-Star Game from
Through research and interviews with economists, Politifact estimates that HB2 has cost North Carolina between
"So we know that it's hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of jobs, but it could be worse than that because what we're not getting is what we don't know," Cooper said. "I'll just have to spend that extra 15 to 20 minutes that I have to spend in most of my recruiting sessions answering questions from companies about House Bill 2 and why it's still on the books."
In the 2017 legislative session, lawmakers in 15 states have introduced some version of a "bathroom bill" that requires people to use the restroom and locker room in public facilities that corresponds with the gender on their birth certificate, according to the
Last week Virginia Gov.
"To NC companies and families tired of anti-LGBT attacks like #HB2 -- Virginia welcomes you, no matter whom you love," he tweeted.
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