Oklahoma Bill aimed at stripping local control from cities and counties heads to Committee

Oklahoma City – The Oklahoma legislature is moving quickly on hearing Anti-LGBTQ bills this session. Senate Bill 1298 will be heard Monday morning – Feb. 22 – at 10:30 AM in the Senate General Government Committee.

SB 1298 would strip local control from Oklahoma’s municipalities and counties, no longer allowing them to pass or enforce ordinances that provide stronger protections than already exist in state law. This would adversely affect the LGBTQ community by stripping away protection from bias and discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations in OKC, Tulsa, Norman, and other jurisdictions across the state.

This move would be extremely bad for business, damaging the positive momentum gained in municipalities passing these protections to entice more industry to Oklahoma. As well as harming their ability to retain young people and top talent who refuse to live in an intolerant community. As we saw last week - when corporations in Georgia announced that they were leaving the state after a similar discriminatory measure passed the senate there – corporate America are not looking to do business in states with regressive human rights laws.

“It is our hope that fair-minded lawmakers will reject this regressive measure and get back to working on the fiscal disaster facing our state," said Freedom Oklahoma executive director, Troy Stevenson. "It would the height of hubris for the state to strip local control from our cities and counties when it is abundantly clear at this point that they are not capable of getting their own financial house in order.”

Background:
www.gayly.com/indiana-senate-poised-take-lgbt-rights-bills
www.gayly.com/indiana-culture-war-over-gay-rights-worries-business-leaders

LIST OF LEGISLATION:

http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/cf_pdf/2015-16%20INT/SB/SB1289%20INT.PDF

The Gayly - 2/22/2016 @ 8:50 AM CST