Dayton bans state employees from nonessential travel to North Carolina
Governor Dayton is banning all nonessential travel to North Carolina in a letter released on Saturday.
"I take great pride in our state’s culture of inclusiveness and our continuing efforts to make Minnesota a state free from discrimination," Dayton said in the letter.
The ban came in response to the "Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act" passed last week by North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory which limits local government protections to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender women and men.
"In my view, it is destructive to the progress we have made to provide equal rights and protections to our LGBT community," Dayton said.
Dayton directed state employees to cease all nonessential state business to North Carolina until further notice. However, travel is permitted if the trip is necessary to protect the safety or other essential interests of Minnesota citizens.
Both the City of Minneapolis and Dayton previously considered a travel ban last year when Indiana passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, but a "fix" from Indiana Governor Mike Pence took out the controversial portion that offended many governors, lawmakers, businesses and sports teams.
Dayton has also threatened to veto a bill similar to the one in North Carolina which was proposed and supported by several Minnesota GOP legislators.
