JPDEC VOTES IN SUPPORT OF GOV. EDWARDS' VETOES

The Jefferson Parish Democratic Executive Committee (JPDEC) voted unanimously Tuesday night to support Gov. John Bel Edwards’ vetoes of two ill-advised pieces of legislation:

          ++ Senate Bill 118, which would all allow Louisianans to carry concealed weapons without a permit and without weapons training. Many police officials across Louisiana oppose this because of the safety threat to both private citizens and law-enforcement officers. JPDEC members agree with the governor, who in his veto letter stated: “There is simply no good reason why the State of Louisiana should provide for concealed carry of weapons for people that have no training on how to properly use a gun.”

          ++ Senate Bill 156, which would bar transgender girls from competing in organized sports in public schools. The bill, called the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, essentially defines fairness as forcing transgender girls to the sidelines. JPDEC wholeheartedly agrees with Edwards’ observation that the bill is “targeted, unfairly, at children … who are going through unique challenges and gaining acceptance into their schools, their communities, and sometimes even their own families.”

Senate Bill 156 also flies in the face of anti-discrimination policies adopted by many of America’s sports governing bodies including the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which could take the Final Four men’s basketball championships – scheduled in the Superdome next April – to a more tolerant location elsewhere in the country. Over time, Louisiana could lose hundreds of millions of dollars, perhaps billions, as sports organizations and corporations with anti-discrimination policies decide whether to invest in Louisiana. Finally, JPDEC members agree with Edwards’ comment that Senate Bill 156 “offers solutions to an issue {the fear that transgender girls will dominate sports} that does not exist in Louisiana.” Or, for that matter, anywhere else. The bill is mean-spirited and discriminatory.

JPDEC urges Louisiana’s senators to reject these two bills. One would put more lives in danger. The other would enshrine discrimination into state law.