Tennessee pens snarky reply to California's travel ban

Sen. Joey Hensley, R-Hohenwald, right, confers with Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, on the Senate floor in Nashville, Tenn., Monday, March 27, 2017. Sen. Joey Hensley, R-Hohenwald, right, confers with Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, on the Senate floor in Nashville, Tenn., Monday, March 27, 2017. Photo: Erik Schelzig/AP Photo: Erik Schelzig/AP Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Tennessee pens snarky reply to California's travel ban 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Last week, California's attorney general announced the state would be widening its so-called travel ban – something Tennessee lawmakers equivocated to "economic warfare."

A bill passed last month by the Tennessee state legislature said the ban would be akin to Tennessee "expressing its disapproval of California's 'exorbitant taxes, spiraling budget deficits, runaway social welfare programs, and rampant illegal immigration.'"

The bill went on to encourage Tennessee governor Bill Haslam, along with the State Senate and State House of Representatives' respective speakers, to approve a ban on state-funded travel to states with California-esque travel bans in place – a counter-ban, so to speak. It also urged other states not to side with California, in order "to prevent escalating foolishness."

Texas, Alabama, Kentucky or South Dakota – the four newly-embargoed states – will be joining Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina and Tennessee on California's no-go list. No state-sponsored or state-funded trips will be permitted, with a few specific exceptions.

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California's decision to ban the affected states came after each of them passed laws that many Democrats and LGBT rights advocates consider discriminatory. Texas, one of the new additions, recently passed a bill allowing faith-based foster care and adoption agencies to turn away LGBT parents. Tennessee was put on the list after it passed Senate Bill 1556, which would allow therapists to turn away LGBT clients, if serving them would violate their "sincerely held principles."

"While the California DOJ works to protect the rights of all our people, discriminatory laws in any part of our country send all of us several steps back," California attorney general Xavier Becerra said in a statement Thursday. "That's why when California said we would not tolerate discrimination against LGBTQ members of our community, we meant it."

The full text of the Tennessee bill can be found here. According to LegiScan, the resolution is official and complete and was signed by Haslam in May.