RALEIGH: On the anniversary of Pat McCrory’s disastrous HB2, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Cheri Beasley and business owners across North Carolina criticized the now Republican Senate candidate for more than $3.7 billion of economic damage to the state.
“Pat McCrory’s HB2 was terrible for North Carolina’s economy and hurt businesses like mine all across the state. It also kept companies from settling in North Carolina that would have strengthened our local economies and brought good-paying jobs. Business owners in this state work hard to succeed and to support our communities, and we are continuing to work to recover from the damage this mean-spirited bill caused,” said David Meeker, Partner in Trophy Brewing and Carpenter Development in Raleigh.
“HB2 wreaked havoc on the Outer Banks tourism industry and our economy. With one swipe of a pen from Pat McCrory, my restaurants lost around sixty thousand dollars in revenue. And we have no idea the full impact this disastrous bill had on tourism in the Outer Banks and how many opportunities were missed as a result. We need a Senator, like Cheri Beasley, who will promote tourism and businesses in North Carolina not work against it,” said Wes Stepp, Owner of Red Sky and NC Coast Grill & Bar Restaurants in Duck.
“Respect for individual dignity is foundational to Replacements, Ltd.’s business. It both reflects our deeply-held beliefs and is a critical factor in our ability to recruit and retain employees in a very competitive labor market. When discriminatory laws like HB2 interfere with our capacity to hire these individuals, it not only goes against the company’s core values – it also hurts our business. We may never know the full detrimental impact that HB2 had on North Carolina’s economy, and I sincerely hope our company does not have to face similar bad-for-business legislation in the future. I am supporting Cheri Beasley for US Senate because she shares our values and will stand against unfair policies that harm North Carolina’s businesses and communities,” said Bob Page, Founder & CEO of Replacements Ltd. in McLeansville.
“As an independent local business in Greensboro, NC, Scuppernong Books actively opposed the HB2 law and refused to participate in the demeaning of trans people it demanded. Greensboro was hit by the loss of the NCAA tournament, various concerts, and other events as organizers took a principled stand against the obvious prejudice of the law. This was a real loss of income to so many small businesses around Greensboro, but our business is also about human dignity and respect for individual rights. We’re convinced that Cheri Beasley is the right choice to protect small businesses from both economic and humanitarian losses,” said Brian Lampkin, Owner of Scuppernong Books in Greensboro.
“Pat McCrory signed HB2 into law and North Carolinians across the state felt its devastating impacts. Not only did this discriminatory bill hurt our LGBTQIA communities, our entire state economy lost billions of dollars in business,” said Cheri Beasley. “As we continue to repair the damage caused by HB2, we need leaders who will fight for a strong economy, be a strong partner to businesses, and who recognize that diversity is our strength. And that’s what I will fight for in the U.S. Senate.”
In 2016, then-Governor McCrory signed the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act known as “HB2” into law, resulting in a loss of $3.76 billion in business according to an Associated Press report.
Original source can be found here.
