“The governor of Georgia, just like the governor from South Dakota, vetoed that bill.” It’s because they listened and listened to the business community,” stated Chad Griffin, president, Human Rights Campaign, which was opposed to the legislation. However, in Mississippi, the corporate repercussions were not as certain. The House approved Bill 1523 on Monday seven weeks later than the Senate. This was five days after the Senate approved the bill and one day before Governor. The Human Rights Campaign compiles a list of statements by nearly a dozen businesses disapproving Bryant’s signing of it. None of these companies threatened to change the way they do business with the state if it became law. “You know that Georgia is a hub of Hollywood. And I just think the businesses there have more national recognition, there are more brands and people listen to them,” stated Ben Needham, Director of Project One America, which is a Deep South affiliate of the Human Rights Campaign. “We don’t have that kind of national brand of business here.” However, the Human Rights Campaign listed Nissan, Tyson Foods, and Toyota as their opposition to House Bill 1523. These national companies employ thousands of Mississippians. None of these companies had taken any action against the bill, other than releasing these statements as of Tuesday. Continental Tires, which in March announced that it would build a Mississippi plant worth $1.45 billion, released a statement Wednesday saying: “Continental is committed to diversity and is against any form of discrimination. This core value is a key part of our business and the communities that we serve around the world. “We will continue to promote these core values throughout all of our current and future operations,” said the governor’s office. He did not return multiple calls or emails. Sen. John Horhn (D-Jackson) said, “I think that the governor is an ever optimist and he believes that Mississippi can do stupid and not have to worry about the world care.” “We have heard of cities and states that are considering banning travel from Mississippi. However, when we see investments withdraw from the state, that’s when it’s going to wake us up and join 21st-century society,” some legislators said. They had not heard any opposition from companies prior to the vote. On Monday, Sen. J.P. Wilemon Jr., D. Belmont, said, “Now this thing is on my desk about businesses and different things,” pointing to the list distributed in part by the Human Rights Campaign. “We didn’t hear anything about it until the bill was passed.” Wilemon was one of two Democrats to vote in favor of the bill. He noted, along with several other members of the legislature, that Mississippi was pushing for the bill’s passage. Senator Briggs Hopson (R-Vicksburg), who voted in favor of the bill, said that he heard many constituents. Some legislators believe that the bill would have faced more resistance in Senate if the opposition from the business community had been brought in sooner and stronger. Senator David Blount (D-Jackson), who voted against it, said that if large Mississippi employers have concerns about a bill, legislators need to be informed. Erik Fleming (director of advocacy and policy at American Civil Liberties Union) said that the initial strategy was to oppose the bill at the state level. He urged companies to meet privately to pressure legislators to reject the legislation. Along with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Southern Poverty Law Center, the ACLU and Human Rights Campaign were part of the coalition that opposed the bill. Olivia Dalton (senior vice president of the Human Rights Campaign), said that there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes before companies make public their opposition. “And that might also explain why you were seeing more that happen now when that’s really at the crucial moment versus previously when I think there was a natural reason why companies might want to lob a private calling.” Rob Hill, the state director of the Human Rights Campaign Mississippi, said that the group began opposing the legislation right after the House had drafted it. Hill stated that the organization was engaged since the moment they saw the bill. Hill said that he met with Terry Burton, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and had lunch with a lobbyist at Capitol before the session. Although we made statements about it, I don’t believe people felt the urgency until the bill passed in the senate. Still, Sen. Russell Jolly (D-Houston), the other Democrat who voted to pass House Bill 1523, stated that almost no constituents or companies reached out before he voted last Wednesday. Jolly stated that 99 percent of the 100 people surveyed were against the bill. “You have to vote in your local district.” Needham stated that it is unlikely that those numbers are correct. Needham stated, “I think this is a talking point by senators who want cover to themselves to vote in favor of this bill.” Hill claimed that the Human Rights Campaign organized phone banks with thousands upon thousands of volunteers. They also ran robo-call and email campaigns. Jolly stated that a lot of these were form emails. It takes a lot of time to see it. You just need to delete, delete. You know who they are? “My constituents, that’s what I listen to” Some critics of the bill acknowledge that the national attention was focused on similar bills in Georgia, North Carolina and other larger states, until last week. The bill from North Carolina was approved by the legislature on March 23. Georgia’s governor vetoed the bill on March 28, just two days after Mississippi’s bill was approved by the state senate. Needham stated, “Unfortunately, you have Georgia, and you have North Carolina doing the same thing.” Fleming said that Mississippi’s conservative past made it difficult to rally national opposition to the bill. Fleming stated that they believed Mississippi was already a predetermined conclusion. Fleming stated that if there was an ideal world where the only person who would not be harmed by it being us, then yes, there would have been lots of attention. “But it’s difficult to predict whether, as the lone wolf in a world where everyone was watching, all the pressure from the outside and inside could have stopped it.” Some legislators say they don’t get why companies didn’t speak out sooner if they are truly invested in stopping the legislation. Hopson stated that he did not hear from corporate interests supporting or against the vote. Hopson said, “I don’t think it would have made any difference, but there’s always the possibility that there’s more enlightenment against them.” When we receive advocacy, I try to follow their advice. It’s certainly something that you should consider when you’re discussing how to vote on a bill.” To support this important work, make a regular donation today to celebrate our Spring Member Drive. 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