On Friday, the Arkansas House of Representatives voted 57-20 in favor of a bill that would bar cities and counties from sanctioning LGBT anti-discrimination laws.
Arkansas state Sen. Bart Hester (R), who sponsored the bill, told BuzzFeed News that creating uniform policies across the state will attract businesses and that he was angered by one city’s repeated attempts to expand rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.
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“As soon as LGBT people get some protections against being evicted or fired just because of who they love, the state is going to absolutely prohibit them from obtaining that sort of protection,” she said.
The bill, which passed on a 24-8 vote in the Arkansas Senate on Monday, is now on its way to Hutchinson’s desk. The Associated Press reports that the governor said Friday that he will allow the bill to go into effect without signing it.
