| RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia House Democratic Caucus today asked Del. Bob Marshall whether a new analysis from the Associated Press on the economic impact of North Carolina’s divisive bathroom bill is “fake news.”
According to the Associated Press, the projected loss to North Carolina’s economy is $3.76 billion over a dozen years.
Marshall, who sponsored an even more extreme version of the bathroom bill during Virginia’s legislative session this year, called an earlier Forbes analysis of the effects on North Carolina’s economy “fake news.”
“One of the nation’s most respected news sources just found that this type of discriminatory legislation will cost North Carolina’s economy nearly $4 billion,” said House Democratic Leader David J. Toscano. “Delegate Marshall has taken a page right out of President Trump’s playbook by running from the facts. Democrats would never support legislation that would do so much damage to the Commonwealth’s economy.”
“Although Delegate Marshall’s bill was so extreme that it was killed by his own party, just minutes later, House Republicans also killed a bill that would protect the LGBT community from employment and housing discrimination,” said Caucus Chair Charniele Herring. “House Republicans also passed legislation this year to provide civil immunity to those who discriminate against same-sex couples. Thankfully, Governor McAuliffe has vetoed these bills, which is why it’s so important we have a Democratic governor and Democrats in the General Assembly to keep discriminatory legislation from becoming law.”
Four Democrats have announced that they will challenge Delegate Marshall. Hillary Clinton carried the district with more than 54 percent of the vote in 2016. |
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