Will last year's debate over the so called 'Bathroom Bill' hurt the ability of Texas to lure Amazon's lucrative 'second headquarters?' Political observers tell News Radio 1200 WOAI it could be a stubling point.
"As Amazon has already said, they want to be sure they can recruit the best talent available and make sure those people are comfortable in their work location," SMU political analyst Cal Jillson said. "That means we must be able to explain to people what that bathroom bill was about."
The bill, which was a top priority of conservative Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick would have restricted the use of public restrooms to the gender on the user's birth certificate, and denied the ability of transgender individuals to use the bathroom that conforms to their 'gender identity.'
Many business groups warned that the measure sent a signal to potential employers that some people are not welcome in Texas, and those concerns about demonstrating a lack of inclusiveness were what forced the bill to be killed in the Texas House in both the regular and the special session.
Jillson says it is certain that the bathroom bill, and the fact that Patrick and other movement conservatives have vowed to continue to push these types of proposals, will come up as both Amazon and Apple, which also plans to build a 'second headquarters' discuss potential locations in Texas.
"Patrick is Lieutenant Governor of Texas, and he is secure enough with that base that he can say, 'look, I can't do this, we have to make these deals, we have to find a way to reassure Amazon and others'. He would find a way to do that, I believe."
Conservatives have always claimed that the argument that 'bathroom bill's would scare away employers, conventions, and sporting events are overrated and are scare tactics.
They point to the fact that Houston voters in 2013 overturned that city's Non Discrimination Law which mandated transgender bathroom rights, and since then Houston's economy has boomed and the city has hosted the Super Bowl.
They point out that if Amazon were concerned about the 'bathroom bill' or other conservative measures coming out of the Legislature, the company would not have placed two Texas cities, Austin and Dallas, among its finalists to house the second headquarters.