Emily Patrick

epatrick@citizen-times.com

Despite an array of business pressure from around the country, the Asheville Chamber of Commerce expects it will take no position on House Bill 2, the new state law preventing local governments from adding discrimination protections for LGBT people for public accommodations and restroom use.

Chamber of Commerce officials will convene for a retreat Monday and Tuesday, but chamber President and CEO Kit Cramer said she expects no action on HB2 to come from the meeting.

"Given that HB2 is a hot topic I’m sure it will arise, but we don’t plan to take any official action at the retreat," Cramer said. "Given that the bill has already passed, and that there is already rumor of changes, we will monitor the situation when the new legislative session starts at the end of the month."

Other chambers in North Carolina have staked out stances on the legislation - passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Pat McCrory on March 23.

The move was a response to a Charlotte City Council ordinance approved in February that would have extended protections to gays and lesbians as well as bisexual and transgender people while at hotels, restaurants and stores. Charlotte also would have allowed transgender people to use the restroom aligned with their gender identity.

Statements by other chambers in North Carolina have come as company CEOs and municipal officials in increasing numbers are joining other government and business leaders in opposing the law.

"The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce believes discrimination is a business issue, and we oppose any legislation that allows discrimination and diminishes North Carolina’s reputation as a welcoming place for employers and employees," Chairman Anthony Pugliese said in a statement.

The Durham Chamber of Commerce will discuss the law at its April meeting, said Bill Brian, chairman of the chamber's public policy committee.

“The chamber always has been supportive of the LGBT community and civil rights in general and believes that discrimination is bad for business," he said. "Further, discrimination of any kind is inconsistent with Durham’s community ethos."

Media outlets have reported that the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce is taking a neutral stance on the bill.

The chamber issued a written statement at its annual meeting Wednesday, saying it is "conducting an analysis" of HB2, the Greensboro News & Record reported.

Chambers, including the one in Asheville, frequently take positions on policy issues and often contain public policy departments for that reason.

"We have an Advocacy and Policy Committee that meets when the General Assembly is in session," Cramer said. "In between, we discuss issues with our Executive Committee and Board. We conduct a survey to determine business and infrastructure issues of concern to our members. We also work collaboratively with the chambers throughout the region to coordinate on common agenda items."

The Asheville Chamber of Commerce has taken a stance on recent legislative issues such as the Conncect NC Bond Act and the Interstate 240 DOT project.

"We had plenty of time to study issues and develop positions on those particular subjects," Cramer said.

Decisions on public policy issues are "an art, not a science," she said.

Sometimes the chamber takes member surveys, Cramer said.

As opposition to the law mounted last week, the Human Rights Campaign and Equality North Carolina released the names of 10 company executives who have signed on to a letter criticizing HB2 and seeking its repeal, bringing the number of names to more than 120. New executives include those from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Qualcomm and EMC Corp.

Separately, the venture capital arm of Google’s parent corporation confirmed it won’t invest in North Carolina startup businesses while the law is in place. GV spokeswoman Jodi Olson cited written comments by CEO Bill Maris in which he asked his firm’s partners to flag possible North Carolina investments because he’s “not comfortable deploying dollars into startups there until the voters there fix this.” The move was first reported by Re/code, a tech-focused news site.

District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser and Boston’s city council also this week banned government-connected travel to North Carolina as a sign of opposition to the law. Similar travel bans have been issued by the governors of Washington, New York and Connecticut and by other cities.

NCAA President Mark Emmert said he has spoken to McCrory about the state’s law excluding LGBT people from anti-discrimination protections, making clear if it remains in place it will affect the state’s chances to host major college athletic events.

In a letter hand delivered to the governor, PepsiCo head Indra Nooyi called the law inconsistent with the way her company treats its employees. Nooyi also wrote that the law is undermining efforts to advance North Carolina’s interests.

McCrory has suggested some changes are possible to the law. The General Assembly reconvenes April 25.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

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