Controversial bills giving Oklahoma a black eye, Tulsa Regional Chamber says

OKLAHOMA CITY — A rash of controversial bills being heard at the Capitol has the rest of the nation thinking Oklahoma is backward, says Skye McNiel, a Tulsa Regional Chamber spokeswoman.

Those bills range from a proposal to abolish AP history courses in public schools; to a so-called “hoodie” bill, which was designed to put more teeth in an existing law to prevent people from concealing their identities during the commission of a crime; to several bills targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Oklahomans, including proposals that attempt to eliminate state licensing or recognition of same-sex couples’ marriages and which would allow businesses, if they cite religious objections, to refuse to provide services.

Tulsa Regional Chamber representatives said it is important that the state accept diversity to attract businesses.

McNiel, a former member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, said the measures have given the state a “black eye.”

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/capitol_report/controversial-bills-giving-oklahoma-a-black-eye-tulsa-regional-chamber/article_cb1d19c5-0388-5cc1-8f95-a2b21ad73fe2.html