Reed Already Doing Damage Control Following Passage of HB 757

Mere hours after the controversial HB 757 was passed, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said companies and conventions have expressed reservations about coming to and staying in Atlanta. Also in jeopardy, Reed said, was Atlanta’s bid for the Super Bowl.

A report in The Atlanta Business Chronicle says Reed was “inundated” with phone calls immediately following the bill’s passage:

“I have probably an hour and a half worth of calls to make to convention [organizers] considering pulling out the city,” Reed said Thursday morning. “I’ve got in-person visits with four CEOs in the tech space between now and [next] Wednesday.

“I can’t express the amount of damage being done to Atlanta and Georgia’s reputation as the business and cultural center of the Southeast.”

Lest you think Reed’s fears are isolated or unjustified, nearly every trade group based in Georgia echoed his sentiments.

One bright spot for Reed and his allies is that Governor Deal was not a fan of the earlier version of the bill.

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