280,000 Georgia Workers Avoid Unfair Mischaracterization
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp vetoed the Georgia General Assembly’s Senate Bill 368, a bill that would have required Georgia workers at international companies to register as a foreign agent. Nancy McLernon, the Global Business Alliance’s (GBA) President and CEO, issued the following statement in response:
“I applaud Governor Kemp for recognizing that this legislation would have unfairly mischaracterized over 280,000 hardworking Georgians at international companies operating in the U.S. as foreign agents. Although the intent of the bill is laudable, the clunky way it was written would have discriminated against and pejoratively labeled average Americans. The state has greatly benefited from international companies deciding to invest in Georgia’s economy. Georgia now beats the national average in the percentage of jobs supported by these companies, which is over seven percent of the state’s total employment. With more than 1,280 international employers operating in the state, companies globally headquartered in Japan, Canada and Germany support the largest number of jobs. Thirty-five percent of this workforce hold jobs in the manufacturing sector, making goods right here in the U.S. This proposal was a gross departure from federal standards and would have made Georgia a complete outlier.”