Little Rock City Board Passes Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

Talk Business & Politics content partner, KATV News, reports:

The Little Rock City board of directors passed an anti-discrimination ordinance for city employees and those contracting with the city.

The ordinance makes it illegal for city employees to discriminate against anyone because of their race, sexuality, and gender.

The ordinance also requires anyone contracting with the city to have the same policy.

The ordinance does not affect private businesses and doesn’t go against Senate Bill 202, according to Little Rock’s city attorney.

SB 202, which was hotly debated in the state Legislature, went into effect without the signature of Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who had said he would not veto the measure despite reservations about local control issues.

Conservatives led the push for the law – known as the Intrastate Commerce Improvement Act – which would “improve intrastate commerce by ensuring that businesses, organizations and employers doing business in the state are subject to uniform non-discrimination laws and obligations,” said Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, the original sponsor of SB 202.

Opponents argued that the bill would open up the state to possible discrimination lawsuits.

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The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), which works to advance equality for LGBT Arkansans, issued a statement following the city council’s action.

“City leaders here in Little Rock are taking a bold, courageous and much-needed stand to protect city workers, showing once and for all that Arkansans believe in the Golden Rule,” said HRC State Director Kendra R. Johnson. “We ask Governor Asa Hutchinson to follow Little Rock’s lead and issue an executive order to protect state workers. In addition, we call on both local and state lawmakers to advance comprehensive non-discrimination legislation that will protect all Arkansans. At the end of the day, it’s just the right thing to do.”