RALEIGH, N.C. — California's attorney general says North Carolina's repeal of a strongly criticized "bathroom bill" doesn't protect LGBTQ people from discrimination. Consequently, he says the country's most-populous state will continue its ban on taxpayer-funded travel to North Carolina.

Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced the decision in a statement Wednesday.

Protestors gather across the street from the North Carolina state legislative building as they voice their concerns over House Bill 2, in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, May 16, 2016. Al Drago / CQ-Roll Call

A California law went into effect in January barring state-funded travel or other spending in states with laws that discriminate against LGBTQ people. The law leaves it up to Becerra to keep a list of which states are banned.

Gay-rights groups argue North Carolina's repeal of House Bill 2 is inadequate because it bars local governments from passing nondiscrimination ordinances covering sexual orientation and gender identity until December 2020.

California also bans taxpayer-funded travel to Kansas, Mississippi and Tennessee.

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