**Breaking** Colorado Secretary of State forbids employees to travel to Alabama after Abortion Ban

[hlthe2b]

https://www.denverpost.com/2019/05/16/jena-griswold-alabama-abortion-ban/

Not statewide, but at least this is a start...

May there be many more states to follow in this lead

[demmiblue]

1. It's a start, indeed!

Employees of the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office won’t be traveling to Alabama anytime soon.

In a mostly symbolic gesture, Secretary of State Jena Griswold announced new restrictions Thursday forbidding her staff from traveling to the state that just adopted the most stringent anti-abortion law in the nation. Griswold also called on the Election Center, a nonprofit training center for election officials, to relocate their training out of Alabama.

“Until the laws of Alabama allow for safe and legal access to health care for women, we call on the Election Center to move the location of its training from Alabama,” Griswold said in a statement. “I will not authorize the spending of state resources on travel to Alabama for this training or any other purpose. This is one action that I can take in response to this egregious law against women.”

[underpants]

2. That's terrible. They'll never be able to enjoy Al Abama's rich cultural history

<—- was that really necessary?

[hlthe2b]

3. Gulf Coast is nice though--for both AL and MS

So, with GA, MS, AL, and LA all passing similarly restrictive abortion bills, the SE boycott would be about complete (sadly, I do love New Orleans)

[wryter2000]

4. I've already made reservations to go to Florida this year

I hope they don't try any of this excrement in the near future.

[calimary]

7. I wouldn't go to ANY red state right now.

I learned from the Watergate era “don’t buy books by crooks.” Don’t support, encourage, reward, or reinforce bad behavior! And CERTAINLY don’t do anything that involves giving them your money.

[demigoddess]

9. +3

in this family.

[former9thward]

13. What do you define as a "red state"?

Their vote for president in 2016? A Republican governor? A Republican Senator? Control of one or both state Houses?

[calimary]

31. I'd look at several things.

Who’s governor; supported trump in 2016; now frantically pushing all these 6th-century-BC attitudes toward women toward the Supreme Court; utterly Neanderthal people a state sends to Washington.

That type of thing.

And there are degrees. Utah, for example. Because Mitt Romney is one of their senators, and at times seems to lean toward more reason, especially against trump. For now, of course. If push came to shove, and there were impeachment hearings, a yes vote, and then trial in the Senate, I’d almost expect him to find his conscience and vote to convict. Guess we’ll just have to see.

I have the right to choose all kinds of things in my own life, as do you. That includes where and how I spend my money. I’ve been known to look at an unfamiliar label to see where it was made or manufactured and THAT helps inform me, too.

It’s really all about learning. Learning the details and the fine points. I often wander “into the weeds” because there’s wisdom and perspective to be found in there.

I feel rather strongly about Alabama right now. I can vote with my pocketbook on that. There are, however, extenuating circumstances. If some killer hurricane mows through there, rescuers, first responders and volunteers will need - and will be sent - support.

It depends.

[kimbutgar]

14. Agree would not set foot in a red state for a vacation

Going to Arizona inthe next couple of weeks that is turning purple but outside of that no red states.
That said I am apprehensive of Arizona because of open carry laws. When I go to visit my mother in law I never engage with strangers like I do in my home state California. Small talk is a no no unless I go to my mother in laws church!


Not going to Florida either, I hate their gun laws, stand your ground is crazy and open carry scares the crap out of me. I’m glad I went to Disney world and Universal studios before the crazy gun laws. I refuse to go on a cruise taking off from there.

[Sneederbunk]

5. I have been driving around in Alabama this week.

The people are genial but the thinking is perverse.

[erronis]

6. Now we'll all have to drive around Alabama. Meaning outside of its borders.

Of course the Old Deep South has never been a favorite place of mine, although some of the people are great.

[Aristus]

10. 'Genial but perverse' is the perfect description of that kind of person.

I grew up in the South, and can remember family members, extended family members, friends of the family, just huge gatherings of people on holidays and social occasions. All very nice, very sweet; one felt safe around even the most distant family member, because they would look out for you.

But listening to the endless talk of n*****s this and n*****s that, and 'boy this country sho is goin' ta hail what with them n*****s gettin' all hett up - really got to me, as my injustice meter became very well-attuned very early in life. (I grew up in a multicultural environment as a military dependent.)

[dem4decades]

8. Now that is great.

[BigmanPigman]

11. Good! I wrote that AL should be boycotted by

businesses and citizens two days ago. Glad someone was thinking the same way, even if it is mainly a symbolic gesture.

[warmfeet]

12. Fuck alabama.

Cut them off from everything. They can rot.

[paleotn]

15. Outside of Huntsville,....

better known rocket town, there isn't a hell of a lot to do or see in Alabama. But Huntsville might be moved soon. As Alabama goes full Gilead, they'll have no use for all that sciency stuff. Nothing to see up there but "celestial spheres" and heaven, overlooking our flat as a pancake earth.

[WillowTree]

16. Symbolic, of couse. Could never be enforced legally.

[hlthe2b]

17. Umm, yes of course it can. The state is the employer and they pay for these trips for state business

This isn't the first time state agencies have banned employees from traveling for conferences or related business in states. The NC bathroom bill likewise resulted in similar bans. It is only symbolic in the sense that the Governor has not mandated that ALL state agencies follow suit and it is not clear that any pending trips to AL were planned to begin with.

[WillowTree]

18. Which is just as I expeced.......the headline is a falsehood.

No employer can legally "forbid" their employees from traveling to any place in the country. All they can do is decline to finance business travel to places that they disapprove of. Very different thing.

[hlthe2b]

19. If you read the article it is acurate. The SOS has forbidden her employees to travel

for any official business to Alabama. I know if you've never worked nor known someone that works for government that might not be apparent, but it really really is. And yes, the state government has every right--legally and otherwise---to determine how allocated funds are spent for and by each of their employees.

[WillowTree]

23. I was married to a State employee. I know the drill.

But again, they cannot legally "forbid" an employee to travel to Alabama or anywhere else in the Country. They can just discontinue business travel there. I can't help it if you don't see the difference.

[hlthe2b]

26. They can't for personal business but everyone knows they are talking about state business and YES

they CAN forbid them to travel on state business. First by ordering them not to. Second by refusing to pay for their travel. And finally, firing them if they disregard their employer's demands, in which they would be in violation of any number of regulations.

[WillowTree]

28. Then they should state it that way in the headline, not as a blanket statement.

It's just clickbait.

Whatever.

[hlthe2b]

29. That is the headline from the Denver Post. Hardly clickbait. Everyone on this thread understood it

so....

[obamanut2012]

22. Which is exactly what the article and header states

[WillowTree]

25. Then you're reading verbiage that doesn't appear on my screen.

[hlthe2b]

27. It most certainly does.

[obamanut2012]

21. Of course it can be n/t

[WillowTree]

24. Utter nonsense. Not as stated in the article headline.

[LovingA2andMI]

20. Michigan needs to do the Same Thing.....

ASAP!

[Aussie105]

30. If you really, really need to go there . . .

At least make sure your birth control pills are up to date, take your chastity belt, and pack some MACE or a weapon of some sort.

It's a jungle down there!

[StarfishSaver]

32. Employees aren't prohibited from traveling to Alabama

It's just that they can't use state dollars to travel there on state business.

[hlthe2b]

33. Of course. Just as has happened multiple times with the NC bathroom ban, for instance.

Did you really think that the Secretary of State for Colorado was banning private travel? Really?

So, yes, the SOS for CO has every right to forbid official travel by any employee to GA and they HAVE. And, yes, it is enforceable by right of firing if they disobey.