Texas may pass a "Save Chick-fil-A" bill

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

In March, the San Antonio city council voted to remove a proposed Chick-fil-A location from its airport concession agreement, citing the fast food chain’s record of donating to organizations that discriminated against LGBTQ people. Now, conservatives in the Texas state legislature are trying to pass a law that would ensure something like that never happens again.

On Wednesday night, the state Senate passed a bill that would forbid the government from penalizing businesses (and individuals) on the basis of their charitable giving or religious affiliation, the Dallas Morning News reports. The bill, which supporters call the “Save Chick-fil-A bill,” now has to pass in the state Senate once more before moving to the House.

If it passes, the bill would prohibit any government entity from taking “adverse actions” against an individual or business for their “membership in, affiliation with, or contribution, donation, or other support to a religious organization.” It’s impossible to not see this bill as an explicit defense of Chick-fil-A, which continues to make headlines for its charitable donations to organizations that discriminate against LGBTQ people, including the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a religious organization that requires its employees to refrain from “homosexual acts.” In March, ThinkProgress reported that Chick-fil-A continued to donate to such organizations despite claiming it would no longer do so.

The bill’s supporters say it’s a way for the state to protect the rights of businesses like Chick-fil-A. “I think you’ll find this is a reasonable response, this is a legitimate approach to defending First Amendment speech,” state Senator Bryan Hughes told the Dallas Morning News.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/texas-may-pass-a-save-chick-fil-a-bill/ar-AABsGob

Big government conservative style.

[muntrv]

1. Government picking winners and losers.

[CurtEastPoint]

2. working link

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/texas-save-chick-fil-bill-part-nationwide-anti-lgbtq-effort-n1006526

[KatyMan]

3. But weren't they denied the location

Because they wouldn't agree to be open on Sunday? I think that's a fair requirement for an airport.

[jmowreader]

5. It was specifically over LGBT issues

But if I was on the airport board it would have been over their refusal to operate on Sunday.

[genxlib]

4. I actually mostly agree with this

Government should not be in the position of determining what is acceptable. That is up to the individual consumers to spend their money the way they want.

I always ask myself how this could be inverted by the other side. I would raise holy hell if a conservative local government prevented a liberal establishment due to perceived moral issues.

Now if the decision was based on some other tangential factor, it gets much more reasonable. For instance, as mentioned upthread, not being open on a Sunday would be a valid reason for a location that needed the services everyday.

[Amishman]

8. Yup, San Antonio did not handle this properly

Chick Fil A manages to walk the tightrope of not allowing their political positions impact business decisions, and contracts like this need to be about business.

Discrimination is bad even when it targets a conservative

[blueinredohio]

6. So they can discriminate but we can't?

[TheBlackAdder]

7. What would they do when an organization donates to Atheist, Islamic, Scientology or Satanic Groups?