For  Immediate  Release   February  24,  2014     Contact:     Victoria  Fulkerson     202.234.9181   vfulkerson@nglcc.org       Top  U.S.  Diverse  Business  Leaders  Urge  Arizona  Governor  to  Veto  SB  1062   First-­‐Ever  Such  Collaboration  to  Defeat  a  State  Public  Policy     Today  the  leaders  of  America’s  most  diverse  business  groups  –  and  leaders  of  the   National  Business  Inclusion  Consortium  (NBIC)  joined  forces  to  call  on  Arizona  Governor   Jan  Brewer  to  veto  Senate  Bill  1062  on  grounds  the  bill  is  blatantly  discriminatory  and   anti-­‐business.     The  Arizona  legislation  creates  unprecedented  protections  for  Arizona  businesses  to  use   their  religious  beliefs  to  deny  services  and  goods  to  customers.     In  their  first-­‐ever  policy  collaboration,  their  letter  was  signed  by  leaders  of  the  National   Gay  &  Lesbian  Chamber  of  Commerce  (NGLCC),  the  U.S.  Hispanic  Chamber  of  Commerce   (USHCC),  The  National  Black  Justice  Coalition,  and  the  U.S.  Business  Leadership   Network:  Disability  at  Work.     The  U.S.  business  leaders  wrote  “this  bill  is  not  written  to  strengthen  protections  under   Arizona  law  to  defend  against  religious  discrimination  as  purported,  but  rather  to   discriminate  against  a  specific  segment  of  the  Arizona  population.  Signing  such  a   harmful  and  obviously  discriminatory  bill  will  not  only  have  dire  consequences  for  the   economy  of  Arizona,  but  also  your  legacy  as  chief  executive  of  the  state.”     “There  is  only  one  outcome  sought  by  such  inflammatory  legislation  and  it  is  to   discriminate  against  lesbian,  gay,  bisexual,  and  transgender  Americans,”  said  NGLCC  Co-­‐ Founder  and  President  Justin  Nelson.       The  group  agreed  the  bill  will  harm  the  state  economy  by  discouraging  new  businesses   to  launch  or  expand  in  Arizona  and  by  shrinking  a  well-­‐qualified,  competitive  and  diverse   workforce.  “People  do  not  want  to  live  and  work  in  communities  where  they  see   themselves,  their  friends  or  family  members  so  overtly  discriminated  against,”  the  group   said  in  their  letter  to  Governor  Brewer       "We  have  seen  this  type  of  ill-­‐conceived  legislation  coming  out  of  Arizona  in  the  past.   We  proudly  stand  with  the  NGLCC,  because  we  know  that  such  blatantly  discriminatory       laws  whether  aimed  at  the  LGBT  community  or  any  other  group  -­‐  they  are  bad  for   business  and  damaging  to  America's  global  competitiveness,"  said  Javier  Palomarez,   President  and  CEO  of  the  United  States  Hispanic  Chamber  of  Commerce.       The  business  leaders  called  on  the  Governor  to  veto  the  bill  and  in  doing  so  to  “show   political  courage  and  stand  up  to  the  blatantly  discriminatory  and  anti-­‐business   legislation  that  is  Senate  Bill  1062.  The  time  to  act  is  now  and  the  action  to  take  is   vetoing  this  bill.  We  ask  that  you  do  just  that.”     The  full  text  of  the  letter  may  be  found  here.     About  NGLCC   THE  NATIONAL  GAY  &  LESBIAN  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE  (NGLCC)  Founded  in  2002,   the  NGLCC  is  the  business  advocate  and  direct  link  between  lesbian,  gay,  bisexual,  and   transgender  (LGBT)  business  owners,  corporations,  and  government,  representing  the   interest  of  more  than  1.4  million  LGBT  businesses  and  entrepreneurs.  The  NGLCC  is   committed  to  forming  a  broad-­‐based  coalition  of  LGBT  owned  and  friendly  businesses,   professionals,  and  major  corporations  for  the  purpose  of  promoting  economic  growth   and  the  prosperity  of  our  members.     About  USHCC   THE  UNITED  STATES  HISPANIC  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE  (USHCC)  Founded  in  1979,   the  USHCC  actively  promotes  the  economic  growth  and  development  of  Hispanic   entrepreneurs  and  represents  the  interests  of  3.16  million  Hispanic-­‐owned  businesses   across  the  United  States  that  together  contribute  in  excess  of  $468  billion  to  the   American  economy.  It  also  serves  as  the  umbrella  organization  for  more  than  200  local   Hispanic  chambers  and  business  associations  in  the  United  States  and  Puerto  Rico.     About  NBJC   THE  NATIONAL  BLACK  JUSTICE  COALITION  (NBJC)  is  a  civil  rights  organization  dedicated   to  empowering  Black  lesbian,  gay,  bisexual  and  transgender  (LGBT)  people.  NBJC’s   mission  is  to  end  racism  and  homophobia.  As  America’s  leading  national  Black  LGBT  civil   rights  organization  focused  on  federal  public  policy,  NBJC  has  accepted  the  charge  to   lead  Black  families  in  strengthening  the  bonds  and  bridging  the  gaps  between  the   movements  for  racial  justice  and  LGBT  equality.     THE  US  BUSINESS  LEADERSHIP  NETWORK®  (USBLN®)  is  a  national  non-­‐profit  that  helps   business  drive  performance  by  leveraging  disability  inclusion  in  the  workplace,  supply   chain,  and  marketplace.    The  USBLN®  serves  as  the  collective  voice  of  nearly  50  Business   Leadership  Network  affiliates  across  the  United  States,  representing  over  5,000   businesses.    Additionally,  the  USBLN®  Disability  Supplier  Diversity  Program®  (DSDP)  is   the  nation's  leading  third  party  certification  program  for  disability-­‐owned  businesses,   including  businesses  owned  by  service-­‐disabled  veterans.       ###