Texas House speaker pans bathroom bill, exposes GOP divide
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A proposal barring transgender people in Texas from using the bathroom of their choice is unequivocally bad for business, a powerful state Republican legislator said Wednesday, in defiance of conservative leaders who have applauded the measure amid North Carolina's economic upheaval due to a similar law.
Texas House Speaker Joe Straus' comments underscore an escalating ideological battle between the GOP's traditional business-minded base and further-right grassroots activists in a deeply red state. It's not just a squabble over civil rights that'll be laid bare during the 2017 legislative session, where Republicans hold majorities in both chambers, but also on how to deal with as much as $6 billion less to spend on the budget due to slumping oil prices in the nation's top oil-producing state.
"Many people where I come from get concerned about anything that can slow down the overall job-creating machine," Straus, a San Antonio Republican, told a gathering of the Texas Association of Business. "I think we should be very careful about doing something that can make Texas less competitive for investment, jobs and the highly skilled workforce needed to compete."
The speaker's remarks drew a standing ovation from members of the association, which has suggested the so-called bathroom bill could cost Texas billions in lost revenue and thousands of jobs.
Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/2292b72f15144e09ab58ac410f9c04da/texas-house-speaker-pans-bathroom-bill-exposes-gop-divide
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