Southern Charms
While Congress sits on their hands and does absolutely not a damned thing except the occasional naming of a Post Office (and even that's not without controversy, nine House members voted against naming one after Maya Angelou on March 2nd, calling her a communist sympathizer) the state legislatures have been quite busy, although generally not in the best interests of its citizenry.
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Alabama
Alabama is the 47th poorest state in the US. For every dollar it pays into the federal government it takes $2.46 out. It has no minimum wage law so it's residents have to abide by the governments $7.25 statue. A person earning min. wage will bring home about $290 per week, minus taxes puts a paycheck at around $200. net. That's $800 a month for rent, utilities and food. Heaven forbid you have kids
The largest city, Birmingham, said enough is enough. We can't survive as a city unless our citizens are paid a fair wage. They decided that a minimum wage of $10.10 would not only benefit their citizens personally, but their community as a whole with the increase in tax revenue. Three days before the law was to take effect their state legislature passed a law forbidding any municipality from raising the minimum wage above the Federal standard. Their Governor signed it an hour later.
Two weeks later four cabinet members in the governors office received pay raises in excess of $70,000.
http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/02/bill_to_block_city_minimum_wag_2.html
http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/03/its_outrageous_alabama_lawmake.html
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North Carolina
Their state legislature has promised to put regulations in place to stop another catastrophe similar to the one where a coal ash pond owned by Duke Energy ruptured, polluted the Dan River and caused a major fish kill as far 70 miles downstream. That was four years ago and other than fining the $95B corporation a mere $100,000 nothing has been done to see that it doesn't happen again.(It helps when the Governor is a former executive of the company.) But when the city of Charlotte decided to enact a law protecting their LGBT community the state was quick to act. In a mere 12 hours they passed a law stripping any city of their right to pass legislation that forbids the discrimination of their LGBT citizens. And it didn't stop there.
The new law forbids any discrimination lawsuits to be filed at the state level. Any discrimination lawsuit, regardless of if it's based on race, religion, sex,or handicap, must be filed in a Federal court.
State Rep. Dan Bishop, a sponsor of the new bill explains their logic. "You’re eliminating the state cause of action, but who cares if you get the exact same result? The remedies that are available under federal law are far more robust as things stand anyway. So, there's no harm," Actually there are a couple caveats to your new law Dan. Under the old law a person had 36 mos. to file a discrimination suit. Federal law requires the suit be filed in 180 days and a suit filed in Federal court costs 5 times as much as a state suit.
Some businesses are already looking for ways to leave the state and others have said they'll stop doing business there altogether. Two states have put in place nonessential travel bans and two lawsuits have already been filed against the state.
Oh, and not to be outdone by Alabama, the NC legislature also slipped in a provision that denies any city to raise their minimum wage above the state minimum, which just so happens to be the same as the federal, $7.25.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/north-carolina-hb2-workplace-discrimination-lawsuits
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/25/us/north-carolina-law-antidiscrimination-pat-mccrory.html?_r=0
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Georgia
Georgia got on the Freedom to Discriminate bandwagon last week, but they should have taken a page from the NC playbook and prepared, voted and signed their legislation under the darkness of night also. They didn't have their Governor standing at the ready to sign their bill so it gave everyone from the NFL to Disney time to explain to him the consequences of the legislative action.
Georgia is known as Hollywood east, it's the third most used state for film and television. Tyler Perry is building a new studio that will be as large as any on the west coast, CBS and Disney have studios there as do many smaller film makers. All of them said they would take their business elsewhere. The Walking Dead said they'd also quit filming there b/c even zombies don't time for their bullshit.
Today the Georgia Governor vetoed the bill and while he gave the typical “Georgia is a welcoming state. It is full of loving, kind and generous people", it makes one wonder then, who in the hell are voting these asshats into office. He also tried the Billy Badass approach by saying, " and to those within the business community, some of whom — not all by any stretch — have resorted to threats of withdrawing jobs from our state, they should know, I do not respond very well to insults or threats." But respond you did Governor. And we thank you for doing the right thing. Now you'll just have to sit on pins and needles waiting to see if your "loving, kind and generous" voters are all that at the ballot box.
.
Alabama
Alabama is the 47th poorest state in the US. For every dollar it pays into the federal government it takes $2.46 out. It has no minimum wage law so it's residents have to abide by the governments $7.25 statue. A person earning min. wage will bring home about $290 per week, minus taxes puts a paycheck at around $200. net. That's $800 a month for rent, utilities and food. Heaven forbid you have kids
The largest city, Birmingham, said enough is enough. We can't survive as a city unless our citizens are paid a fair wage. They decided that a minimum wage of $10.10 would not only benefit their citizens personally, but their community as a whole with the increase in tax revenue. Three days before the law was to take effect their state legislature passed a law forbidding any municipality from raising the minimum wage above the Federal standard. Their Governor signed it an hour later.
Two weeks later four cabinet members in the governors office received pay raises in excess of $70,000.
http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/02/bill_to_block_city_minimum_wag_2.html
http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/03/its_outrageous_alabama_lawmake.html
.
North Carolina
Their state legislature has promised to put regulations in place to stop another catastrophe similar to the one where a coal ash pond owned by Duke Energy ruptured, polluted the Dan River and caused a major fish kill as far 70 miles downstream. That was four years ago and other than fining the $95B corporation a mere $100,000 nothing has been done to see that it doesn't happen again.(It helps when the Governor is a former executive of the company.) But when the city of Charlotte decided to enact a law protecting their LGBT community the state was quick to act. In a mere 12 hours they passed a law stripping any city of their right to pass legislation that forbids the discrimination of their LGBT citizens. And it didn't stop there.
The new law forbids any discrimination lawsuits to be filed at the state level. Any discrimination lawsuit, regardless of if it's based on race, religion, sex,or handicap, must be filed in a Federal court.
State Rep. Dan Bishop, a sponsor of the new bill explains their logic. "You’re eliminating the state cause of action, but who cares if you get the exact same result? The remedies that are available under federal law are far more robust as things stand anyway. So, there's no harm," Actually there are a couple caveats to your new law Dan. Under the old law a person had 36 mos. to file a discrimination suit. Federal law requires the suit be filed in 180 days and a suit filed in Federal court costs 5 times as much as a state suit.
Some businesses are already looking for ways to leave the state and others have said they'll stop doing business there altogether. Two states have put in place nonessential travel bans and two lawsuits have already been filed against the state.
Oh, and not to be outdone by Alabama, the NC legislature also slipped in a provision that denies any city to raise their minimum wage above the state minimum, which just so happens to be the same as the federal, $7.25.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/north-carolina-hb2-workplace-discrimination-lawsuits
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/25/us/north-carolina-law-antidiscrimination-pat-mccrory.html?_r=0
.
Georgia
Georgia got on the Freedom to Discriminate bandwagon last week, but they should have taken a page from the NC playbook and prepared, voted and signed their legislation under the darkness of night also. They didn't have their Governor standing at the ready to sign their bill so it gave everyone from the NFL to Disney time to explain to him the consequences of the legislative action.
Georgia is known as Hollywood east, it's the third most used state for film and television. Tyler Perry is building a new studio that will be as large as any on the west coast, CBS and Disney have studios there as do many smaller film makers. All of them said they would take their business elsewhere. The Walking Dead said they'd also quit filming there b/c even zombies don't time for their bullshit.
Today the Georgia Governor vetoed the bill and while he gave the typical “Georgia is a welcoming state. It is full of loving, kind and generous people", it makes one wonder then, who in the hell are voting these asshats into office. He also tried the Billy Badass approach by saying, " and to those within the business community, some of whom — not all by any stretch — have resorted to threats of withdrawing jobs from our state, they should know, I do not respond very well to insults or threats." But respond you did Governor. And we thank you for doing the right thing. Now you'll just have to sit on pins and needles waiting to see if your "loving, kind and generous" voters are all that at the ballot box.
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