La. Senate Kills LGBT Anti-discrimination Hiring Bill

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The Louisiana Senate has killed a New Orleans senator's bid to ban employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, with no debate from lawmakers against the bill.

The chamber voted 25-8 against advancing the measure to the House for debate. Only one Republican senator voted Tuesday in support of the bill.

Democratic Sen. Troy Carter's proposal would have applied to public and private business, but exempt churches and religious organizations. Gov. John Bel Edwards has enacted similar anti-discrimination provisions for state agencies and contractors.

Carter told his colleagues there was no "hidden message" in the bill and asked them to focus on its sole purpose of extending fair employment opportunities.

The bill continually faced strong opposition from business groups and conservative Christian organizations.

___

Senate Bill 436: www.legis.la.gov

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.