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GOP's cozy ties with Big Business unravel as DeSantis unloads on Disney [View all]
WaPo via YahooWASHINGTON - Six years ago, Indiana's then-Gov. Mike Pence scrambled to change a "religious freedom" bill he'd just signed into law because Corporate America objected.
Apple and Salesforce opposed the bill, which seemed to allow businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians. Eli Lilly, a big employer in the state, called it "bad for Indiana and for business." Indiana's Chamber of Commerce said the law was "entirely unnecessary."
Lawmakers listened. The Republican-controlled statehouse quickly revised the bill to clarify it couldn't be used to deny service based on sexual orientation. Pence signed it. And a fight between two longtime allies - companies and Republicans - was over.
But Pence's capitulation can feel like a postcard from a distant era as growing numbers of state and federal Republican leaders today seem eager to clash with America's biggest corporations over bills on similar hot-button issues.
Last year, the GOP attacked firms like Delta Air Lines and Major League Baseball for standing against Georgia's restrictive voting bill. Citigroup was threatened for taking action seen as opposing Texas' recent abortion ban. And Disney's complaints about Florida's new law limiting classroom discussion of sexual identity has led to Republicans targeting the Magic Kingdom's perks. On Wednesday, the GOP-controlled Florida Senate voted 23-16 to eliminate Disney's special district status, and the Florida House could follow suit on Thursday. The implications of this major change remain unclear.
Despite the onslaught, companies are not backing down - goaded by heightened expectations from customers and employees.
Apple and Salesforce opposed the bill, which seemed to allow businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians. Eli Lilly, a big employer in the state, called it "bad for Indiana and for business." Indiana's Chamber of Commerce said the law was "entirely unnecessary."
Lawmakers listened. The Republican-controlled statehouse quickly revised the bill to clarify it couldn't be used to deny service based on sexual orientation. Pence signed it. And a fight between two longtime allies - companies and Republicans - was over.
But Pence's capitulation can feel like a postcard from a distant era as growing numbers of state and federal Republican leaders today seem eager to clash with America's biggest corporations over bills on similar hot-button issues.
Last year, the GOP attacked firms like Delta Air Lines and Major League Baseball for standing against Georgia's restrictive voting bill. Citigroup was threatened for taking action seen as opposing Texas' recent abortion ban. And Disney's complaints about Florida's new law limiting classroom discussion of sexual identity has led to Republicans targeting the Magic Kingdom's perks. On Wednesday, the GOP-controlled Florida Senate voted 23-16 to eliminate Disney's special district status, and the Florida House could follow suit on Thursday. The implications of this major change remain unclear.
Despite the onslaught, companies are not backing down - goaded by heightened expectations from customers and employees.
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