Sanderson Farms, IBM: HB 1523 Hurts Businesses, Economic Growth
Mississippi business leaders, corporations, lawyers and locals denounced House Bill 1523 in eight legal briefs filed just before Christmas, supporting plaintiffs that want the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to affirm the lower court's decision and deem the "Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act" unlawful.
Sanderson Farms Inc., the only Fortune 1000 company headquartered in the state, was one of several Mississippi-based companies that asked the 5th Circuit to deem House Bill 1523 unconstitutional due to its "depressing" effect on economic growth in the state.
"The law lacks a sincere secular purpose, and any attempt by the state to offer one now would be pretext, particularly given that HB 1523 undermines the state's primary policy goal of growing Mississippi's economy. The law will depress economic growth, discourage entrepreneurship, and damage existing businesses," the Sanderson Farms brief states.
Citing a Texas study among other research, the state's business leaders argue that laws like House Bill 1523 lead to significant damage. After Gov. Phil Bryant signed the bill into law, some states banned travel to Mississippi, and local business leaders said potential contractors backed out of pending projects.
Read more: http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2016/dec/29/sanderson-farm-ibm-hb-1523-hurts-businesses-econom/
