Conventioneer praises legislators for religious freedom decision
It appears that the decision of Nevada state lawmakers to drop bills dealing with religious freedom rights in the 2015 legislative session is already paying dividends to the Silver State.
Consumer Electronics Association CEO Gary Shapiro said Nevada’s elected leaders made the right decision not to proceed with Senate Bill 272 and Assembly Bill 277. The bills’ sponsors said they would not proceed with the measures this session after the issue exploded in Indiana and Arkansas because of concerns about potential impacts on the LGBT community.
Concerns that such measures could hurt Nevada’s tourism and convention business were cited as reasons to drop the measures.
“Las Vegas is the world’s leading trade show destination, bringing in more than 5 million visitors and contributing $56 billion to state coffers in 2013 alone,” Shapiro said in a statement. “Letting businesses legally discriminate against the LGBT community would have been devastating to the state’s economy and global reputation.
“As the owner and producer of the International CES — the largest annual event in the United States — we bring more than 175,000 trade show attendees to Las Vegas and contribute over $210 million of nongaming revenue annually to the Nevada economy,” Shapiro said. “Our success is due in great part to the uniquely beneficial business and social environment offered by Las Vegas.
“Religious liberty is a core value but should not be used as a cover for discrimination in the public sphere. There is no reason why religious faith cannot coexist with tolerance and diversity — that is the American way. Put simply, discrimination is morally wrong and bad for business. We applaud Nevada’s leaders for saying no to discrimination and encourage all states to reject similar legislation.”
Contact Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900.
See all of our coverage: 2015 Nevada Legislature
