The Charlotte Chamber of Commerce released a report yesterday detailing the economic impacts of the so-called "Bathroom Bill" HB2 that have already taken a toll on the region.
According to the Chamber, the Charlotte area has already lost at least $285 million in economic activity and up to 1,300 jobs.
The report also says inquiries about new economic development are down 58 percent since lawmakers passed the bill in March, and client visits down 69 percent from last year. [...]
The chamber report said HB2 has cost:
▪ $3.7 million in lost sales and property tax collections for the county.
▪ $202.7 million in lost wages and benefits in the county.
▪ $7.1 million in lost income and sales tax revenue for North Carolina and its counties.
This report from the local Chamber of Commerce primarily concerns Mecklenburg County where the city of Charlotte is located. If other counties in the state are having the same experience, we can only guess what the extent of the damage will be.
All of this, from the economic loses to the court battles to come, can be blamed on lawmakers who created a solution for a problem that doesn't exist. Lawmakers saw the non-existent problem of transgender predators as so pressing they passed HB2 in one day during a special 12-hour session.
People in North Carolina who have never been threatened by a transgender person in the bathroom or even crossed paths with one will now suffer the economic impacts of this asinine legislation. People who've never been victims will become victims of their own state government and possibly their own prejudice.
The beatings will continue until morale improves, or at least until the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals tells the McCrory Administration to take a hike.
Of course it may not end there. It's plausible that North Carolina's economy could continue to suffer for years until the Supreme Court finally weighs in unless Governor McCrory doesn't appeal the inevitable ruling. If the people of North Carolina are fortunate enough, McCory will not be the governor for much longer.