Mon Feb 28, 2011 at 12:48 PM PST
A paradox, courtesy the Montana Legislature

by 51dimes

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/02/28/951058/-A-paradox,-courtesy-the-Montana-Legislature

For those not lucky enough to follow the circus that is the 62nd Legislative Session, HB 516 says it will "limit local ordinances to state protected classes". It is, I would argue, the most controversial bill of the session. Late last year, the City of Missoula (and Bozeman, I believe) said that it was illegal to discriminate against homosexuals and transgendered peoples.

HB 516 would change that. The State of Montana has an anti-discrimination law, which covers race, religion and gender. But not the things covered by the Missoula ordinance. HB 516 would tell cities and towns that they could not give protections to other groups. (A bill that would include those groups in the Montana anti-discrimination law failed.) The bill came from a Havre representative, which is (on good roads) about 5 hours away from Missoula.