California Bans State-Funded Travel to Texas, 3 Other States
California officials determined the four states have laws that discriminate against the LGBT community.
In February, California decided to ban state-funded travel to Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee after officials deemed laws in these states discriminate against the LGBT community.
California has now added Texas, Alabama, South Dakota, and Kentucky to that list for the same reasons.
From The Sacramento Bee:
California Attorney Xavier Becerra announced the new states at a Thursday press conference, where he was joined by representatives from ACLU Northern California and Equality California.
“We will not spend taxpayer dollars in states that discriminate,” Becerra said.
North Carolina gained national attention after officials signed a bathroom bill that said people must use public restrooms associated with their birth sex, which is why California added the state to the list. North Carolina reached a compromise over the bill in March, which made some companies change their minds about doing business in the state. Texas lawmakers have been debating a similar bill.
But that’s not why California added Texas. The Sacramento Bee described the reasons for all four states:
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott this month signed a law that allows child welfare providers to deny services because of “sincerely held religious beliefs,” a provision that critics interpreted as permitting adoption agencies to deny services to gay families.
Alabama and South Dakota were added to California’s listed of banned states because of similar adoption-related laws. The California Department of Justice said Kentucky’s Senate Bill 17 allows student-run organizations in schools to discriminate against classmates.
The ban does not apply to “law enforcement officers, tax auditors and training events that are required for grants.” The state will also exempt trips that are “needed to enforce California law and to honor contracts made before 2017.”
Officials probably added that last part because the first ban caused a pain for public universities over sporting events. Fresno State University has a game against the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa this season. Fox News reported that “[A] request for a legal opinion on whether public university sports’ travel is exempt from the ban has been filed with Becerra’s office, but no ruling has been issued.”
Texas has responded to the ban, according to Fox News:
“California may be able to stop their state employees, but they can’t stop all the businesses that are fleeing over taxation and regulation and relocating to Texas,” said John Wittman, a spokesman for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican.
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Comments
I wish California would add North Carolina to their no-go list.
California would save themselves a lot of thinking and time if the would just prohibit all Californian citizens from every traveling to all other 49 states. SNARK!
You’re in luck. N Carolina was on the original list.
Seeing how Californians who are traveling at the State’s expense are undoubtedly overwhelmingly progressive government-teat-sucking types, I’d say this is GREAT news. Stay the hell away from Texas you Marxist scum, you’re likely to get hurt over here anyways.
And while they’re at it – could all the carpet bagging Californians kindly move back to California. We don’t want you here.
I vote that nobody from the other 49 states, DC, or US territories be allowed to travel to California–for any reason. Although I’m sure they would whine about that being a violation of the commerce clause, just like their ban is.
Correction: other 56 states.
This might be a fun article, California pointing out the four best states in the union, but this flagrant disregarding of our constitution is gravely serious. Anyone who respects and reveres our constitution should be outraged by the recent actions in Minnesota, and here in California.
Minnesota now has a ‘Hate Speech Hotline’ so citizens can report… something. It isn’t clear what. People who offend them? This doesn’t comport with American values and it is certainly at odds with our Constitution. And we have California creating treaties with our enemies and now violating the Interstate Commerce clause.
Protect our Constitution!
It would be sorta funny if the “hate speech hotline” got buried with calls by people complaining about attempts to infringe on their God-given rights. Many of us find that sort of talk “hateful” and extremely distressing. We need a Constitutional Safe Space.
After the election, the MA attorney general set up a civil rights hotline, presuming that there would be numerous such violations against Muslims and other minorities. It was soon flooded by Trump supporters claiming they were being discriminated against and thousands of gun owners complaining about her civil rights violations in reinterpreting long-standing gun laws.
In what way does this violate the constitution? It’s their money, and they can direct how and where it’s spent.
This deserves to be mocked, but it really makes me sad. Democrats have somehow convinced themselves that relatively pedestrian political disagreements (by any historical standard) are suddenly core issues in a second civil rights movement. When you’re convinced that your opponents are all modern day Bull Conner’s, there’s no room for moderation or climb downs, so you get ridiculous (and almost certainly unconstitutional) garbage like this.
The Democrat Party has used the classic
“Divide and Conquer” ploy for too many, many decades in the past
to ever grow a couple – of brain cells that is!
The California Democratic Party and its captive media have been busy whipping themselves into a frenzy to “resist we much” their caricature of DJT and the majority of voters in this country that Hillary disdained as a “basket of deplorables.
The local newspaper has shown its loyalty by publishing all those stupid unsourced articles about Russia “collusion” from the Washington Post. Nevertheless, even they are begging for mercy in today’s editorial.
Oh dear me, here I thought the Democrat Party was trying to
“Resist Pants!”
Why Kansas? I don’t think we’ve done anything horribly anti-californian lately. Well, the Phelps are still here, but everybody ignores them.
I’d wear a blacklist from California with pride. I’d be honored.
I have to disagree. All my friends and acquaintances here in the Capitol are quite proud of the fact that California’s Loony Leftists did us the signal honor of picking Kansas to be one of the first chosen! If the Loons on the Left Coast are against us, we have to be doing things Right! (Pun intended.)
Its not the substance, folks, its the faux outrage from this jerk (Stanford undergrad and Stanford Law School) who is attempting to out-liberal the other minority and women candidates who see a straight line to the White House. They all see themselves as the next obama.
Perhaps Texas could return the favor by offering all its LGTBs a free one way ticket to San Francisco.
California legislators. They’re so cute when they’re angry…
Two things that come to me. First, isn’t California against the Trump travel ban but they justify their own? Secondly, I live in Florida and have a precious gay son. I don’t want any person from California moving here with their insane ideas. Go away and stay away!
First, isn’t California against the Trump travel ban but they justify their own?
Um, what? Is that meant to be a joke?
Well, is it? I don’t see how any sane person could honestly see a contradiction between these two positions; either natdj is joking, or s/he is disingenuous, or s/he is insane. I don’t see any other possibilities.
Seems a good time to introduce Jordan Peterson:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kasiov0ytEc&t=2639s
Will they apply the same standards to imports from/travel to stuck-in-the-dark-ages middle eastern countries? What about China, which doesn’t even recognize same sex marriage?
Of course not. Other countries (except Israel) are entitled to have different cultural values, which deserve respect and admiration even if they fundamentally conflict with ours, but apparently other states aren’t.
Everyone in the country please determine which direction is west and start pushing.
Oregon should be so lucky. Unfortunately, we lost that war in the 1970s.
I don’t remember where, or which cases, but Americans have a constitutional right to travel from one state to another. I believe it’s in addition to the commerce clause, because all travel isn’t commercial.
Initially, most of the Bill of Rights only applied against federal action, however through the doctrine of “incorporation” through, I believe, the 5th Amendment, many of them have been applied to the states. I’m sure, if tested,SCOTUS would apply the right to travel among the states. Further, states are not permitted to “tax” the imports from other states. It’s very clear the FF were trying to eliminate intrastate barriers and California’s position is indefensible.
They want to be an independent country, that’s GREAT by me, but please give your electoral votes back, and let us lease the military bases from you, because you’re too broke to maintain and man them. After all, you have a $6 billion slow bullet train to construct. 🙂
Yes, they do. This is firmly established law, and is not under any sort of challenge. How is it relevant?
Yes, there is no doubt that this law is incorporated into the 14th amendment, and the courts routinely hold the states bound by it. Again, how is it relevant?
It already has, many times. There is no dispute about it.
Once again, true and utterly uncontroversial. This is known as the “dormant commerce clause”.
How so? In what way does CA’s policy conflict with any of the things you’ve asserted?
This is specifically about state funded Official travel; it has nothing to do with private citizens going wherever they please.
One just has to laugh at this farce. We here in Texas are perfectly capable of struggling along without your bats**t crazy state bureaucrats. However, we will continue to welcome the businesses that are leaving your sinking ship of a state and relocating to Texas. Y’all have a nice day now……
It’s depressing as hell to read comments on what is supposed to be a legal blog for conservative as thumpingly ignorant of the Constitution as those above.
The Founders would look with horror on the idea that a state (a sovereign in their day) could not control where it’s own employees went on state funds.
Jeeeeebus…
Thank you.
Every year I avoid going to California is a good year.
Coming out of college I had a job offer there and declined as I didn’t want to live in poverty- high rent-high tax-government proctology on every part of your life.
Screw that!
Good, then their liberalism will be quarantined.