The law’s critics hold that it would legalize discrimination in the state, while its supporters maintain the law mirrors a federal statute and the laws of 19 other states who have some form of religious freedom legislation on ?the books.
Regardless of the law’s final legal implications, a broad swath of the nation — including corporations and individuals who conduct business in the state — is vocally opposed to it. This article will seek to outline how the withdrawal of that business could change the state’s economy.
Major corporations that have opposed the law or are reviewing their operations in Indiana because of it include the NFL, the Big Ten Conference, GenCon, Angie’s List, Eli Lilly, Cummins and Salesforce.com, among others.
Taken together, these companies do hundreds of millions of dollars of business every year within state borders. Some of them are talking about removing business from the state, and others have already done so.
Angie’s List, an Indianapolis web-based contractor review service, has already announced it would postpone construction of a $40 million planned expansion of its headquarters in Indianapolis because of the bill.
“We are putting the Ford Building Project on hold until we fully understand the implications of the freedom restoration act on our employees, both current and future,” CEO Bill Oesterle said in a prepared statement. “Angie’s List is open to all and discriminates against none, and we are hugely disappointed in what this bill represents.”
Indianapolis is poised to be particularly hurt by response to the bill. The city’s focus on attracting conventions and large sporting events is heavily influenced by public opinion.
“We are a diverse city, and I want everyone who visits and lives in Indy to feel comfortable here,” Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard said in a statement. “RFRA sends the wrong signal.”
Events and conventions such as next week’s Final Four, the NFL Combine and GenCon, one of the largest gaming conventions in the United States, have all expressed disapproval of ?the law.
Outside of the business world, the mayors of San Francisco and Seattle have banned the use of public funds to travel to Indiana.
Additionally, the governor of Connecticut has enacted a publicly funded travel ban to the state. This could prevent, for example, a professor at a public Connecticut university from using money to travel to IU for a talk or convention.
