After the threat of losing nearly half-a-million dollars, North Carolina’s legislature has introduced legislation that will repeal HB2 and replace it with statewide, LGBTQ-inclusive, non-discrimination protections. These would be the same commonsense protections that exist in 19 states and more than 100 cities across the country to ensure that all people are treated fairly under the law. The comprehensive legislation was introduced by Representatives Pricey Harrison, Deb Butler, Kelly Alexander, Susan Fisher and Senators Terry Van Duyn, Mike Woodard, and Jay Chaudhuri.

“My hometown of Greensboro has suffered enormously from economic losses because of HB2, and the potential economic harm from the NCAA pull-out for the next 6 years is even greater.” said Representative Pricey Harrison, one of the sponsors of the House legislation. “The bill introduced today is a clean repeal of HB2 and provides enhanced statewide non-discrimination protections. This bill reflects North Carolina values, unlike HB2. It is long overdue and we will work our hardest to enact this legislation.”

The comprehensive repeal and replace legislation introduced today comes after the North Carolina Sports Association sent a letter to lawmakers warning of a loss of NCAA championship games through 2022 if HB2 is not immediately repealed. In the letter, the North Carolina Sports Association warned lawmakers that the NCAA decision could cost the state at least another half a billion dollars in economic activity when other sports organizations follow the NCAA’s lead in moving events out of the state. In November 2016, Forbes estimated that the state had already lost hundreds of millions of dollars in business due to HB2.

[HRC]