National Center for Public Policy Research Presents Shareholder Proposal after International Conglomerate Complains About American Religious Freedom Laws While Doing Business in Nations with Religious Persecution and Human Rights Violations
If corporations and the media want to see examples of persecution of homosexuals look to Tehran and Riyadh - Not Atlanta and Indianapolis
Jacksonville FL / Washington D.C. - At todays annual meeting of General Electric shareholders in Jacksonville Florida the National Center for Public Policy Research presented a timely shareholder resolution exposing the industry giants hypocrisy in criticizing American religious freedom laws. It does so by falsely claiming Americas religious freedom laws discriminate against homosexuals and protesting these laws on those grounds while simultaneously doing business with nations that actually persecute homosexuals.
Starting last year with Indiana and Arkansas and more recently in Georgia the nation has been debating state-level religious freedom restoration laws. Many corporations have jumped into this debate and perpetuated falsehoods about such laws that are then repeated in the liberal press. General Electric has been a leading player in this movement said National Center Free Enterprise Project Director Justin Danhof Esq. Today we set the record straight and called the companys CEO Jeffrey Immelt to task for the companys duplicity on this issue.
Speaking on behalf of the National Centers proposal Danhof stated in part.
Last spring our CEO joined with a host of corporate leaders in distorting religious freedom laws. Regarding Indianas effort to protect its citizens deeply held religious beliefs he wrote I am very concerned about the potential impact the Religious Freedom Restoration Act could have on our company and employees. Since that time many more corporations have joined this mob effort to quash religious liberty.
Mr. Immelt expressed concern that religious freedom laws will lead to discrimination. Never mind that the laws only require the government to avoid interfering with religious freedom if it can do so while still achieving important government goals - one of which in every state of the union is outlawing discrimination. Mr. Immelt wrote this letter on GEs behalf stating we have zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind.
Our proposal takes Mr. Immelt up on this. GE operates in many nations where homosexuality is outlawed. In some of those countries homosexual acts are punishable by death. Women have almost no rights in numerous countries in which GE does business. And try getting a fair trial in many of these nations.
Let us as shareholders of GE express our support for the companys zero tolerance on discrimination as Mr. Immelt said and question why GE is operating in nations when doing so requires GE to discriminate and to acquiesce in discrimination. Could a woman even work in a GE facility in Saudi Arabia without the permission of a male relative?
The full text of Danhofs remarks at the General Electric meeting as prepared for delivery can be found here.
Immelt and other corporate leaders are often praised by the liberal press for denouncing religious freedom in the United States. My question is: why are the press and corporate America so unconcerned with corporate operations in countries that actually discriminate against homosexuals women - and just about every possible minority constituency. GE actively supported President Obamas ill-guided Iran deal and much of the mainstream press did as well. No thinking person could reason that an American religious law has any equivalency with the execution of homosexuals in the public square added Danhof. If corporations and the media want to see examples of persecution of homosexuals look to Tehran and Riyadh - not Atlanta and Indianapolis.
Religious freedom laws in the United States whether federal or state simply set a high bar for government action that might interfere with an individuals deeply-held religious beliefs. To pass such an infringing law the government must prove that it has a compelling interest in doing so and if the government can reach that compelling interest by other means the courts will direct it to use those other means said Danhof. Thats all these laws do. The public debate over these laws are often void of these very basic facts.
Furthermore the lefts newest attack on religious liberty has all the trappings of a fundraising ploy noted Danhof. Many liberal organizations spent years raising hundreds of millions of dollars in the fight to legalize gay marriage. Perhaps winning that battle too quickly left a hole in the movements pockets. In that light it is easy to understand why it concocted this fake outrage over basic religious freedom that has been a non-controversial issue in American jurisprudence for hundreds of years and a matter of state and federal law since the early 1990s.
The National Centers complete shareholder resolution and General Electrics response to it can be found on pages 60 and 61 of the companys proxy statement - which is available here.
General Electric engaged the outside law firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP to petition the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to block the National Centers proposal. However the National Centers legal team led by Danhof prevailed and convinced the SEC that the National Centers proposal was so significant that the companys shareholders should have a say on the matter.
The entire legal exchange between General Electrics law firm and the National Center along with the SECs decision can be downloaded here.
Earlier this year Danhof presented a similar proposal to Apple. For more information about that meeting and shareholder resolution see here here and here.
The National Centers Free Enterprise Project is the nations preeminent free-market activist group focusing on shareholder activism and the confluence of big government and big business. In 2014-15 National Center representatives participated in 69 shareholder meetings advancing free-market ideals in the areas of health care energy taxes subsidies regulations religious freedom food policies media bias gun rights workers rights and many other important public policy issues.
The National Center for Public Policy Research founded in 1982 is a non-partisan free-market independent conservative think-tank. Ninety-four percent of its support comes from individuals less than four percent from foundations and less than two percent from corporations. It receives over 350000 individual contributions a year from over 96000 active recent contributors. Sign up for free issue alerts here or follow us on Twitter at @NationalCenter.
National Center for Public Policy Research Presents Shareholder Proposal after International Conglomerate Complains About American Religious Freedom Laws While Doing Business in Nations with Religious Persecution and Human Rights Violations
If corporations and the media want to see examples of persecution of homosexuals look to Tehran and Riyadh - Not Atlanta and Indianapolis
Jacksonville FL / Washington D.C. - At todays annual meeting of General Electric shareholders in Jacksonville Florida the National Center for Public Policy Research presented a timely shareholder resolution exposing the industry giants hypocrisy in criticizing American religious freedom laws. It does so by falsely claiming Americas religious freedom laws discriminate against homosexuals and protesting these laws on those grounds while simultaneously doing business with nations that actually persecute homosexuals.
Starting last year with Indiana and Arkansas and more recently in Georgia the nation has been debating state-level religious freedom restoration laws. Many corporations have jumped into this debate and perpetuated falsehoods about such laws that are then repeated in the liberal press. General Electric has been a leading player in this movement said National Center Free Enterprise Project Director Justin Danhof Esq. Today we set the record straight and called the companys CEO Jeffrey Immelt to task for the companys duplicity on this issue.
Speaking on behalf of the National Centers proposal Danhof stated in part.
Last spring our CEO joined with a host of corporate leaders in distorting religious freedom laws. Regarding Indianas effort to protect its citizens deeply held religious beliefs he wrote I am very concerned about the potential impact the Religious Freedom Restoration Act could have on our company and employees. Since that time many more corporations have joined this mob effort to quash religious liberty.
Mr. Immelt expressed concern that religious freedom laws will lead to discrimination. Never mind that the laws only require the government to avoid interfering with religious freedom if it can do so while still achieving important government goals - one of which in every state of the union is outlawing discrimination. Mr. Immelt wrote this letter on GEs behalf stating we have zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind.
Our proposal takes Mr. Immelt up on this. GE operates in many nations where homosexuality is outlawed. In some of those countries homosexual acts are punishable by death. Women have almost no rights in numerous countries in which GE does business. And try getting a fair trial in many of these nations.
Let us as shareholders of GE express our support for the companys zero tolerance on discrimination as Mr. Immelt said and question why GE is operating in nations when doing so requires GE to discriminate and to acquiesce in discrimination. Could a woman even work in a GE facility in Saudi Arabia without the permission of a male relative?
The full text of Danhofs remarks at the General Electric meeting as prepared for delivery can be found here.
Immelt and other corporate leaders are often praised by the liberal press for denouncing religious freedom in the United States. My question is: why are the press and corporate America so unconcerned with corporate operations in countries that actually discriminate against homosexuals women - and just about every possible minority constituency. GE actively supported President Obamas ill-guided Iran deal and much of the mainstream press did as well. No thinking person could reason that an American religious law has any equivalency with the execution of homosexuals in the public square added Danhof. If corporations and the media want to see examples of persecution of homosexuals look to Tehran and Riyadh - not Atlanta and Indianapolis.
Religious freedom laws in the United States whether federal or state simply set a high bar for government action that might interfere with an individuals deeply-held religious beliefs. To pass such an infringing law the government must prove that it has a compelling interest in doing so and if the government can reach that compelling interest by other means the courts will direct it to use those other means said Danhof. Thats all these laws do. The public debate over these laws are often void of these very basic facts.
Furthermore the lefts newest attack on religious liberty has all the trappings of a fundraising ploy noted Danhof. Many liberal organizations spent years raising hundreds of millions of dollars in the fight to legalize gay marriage. Perhaps winning that battle too quickly left a hole in the movements pockets. In that light it is easy to understand why it concocted this fake outrage over basic religious freedom that has been a non-controversial issue in American jurisprudence for hundreds of years and a matter of state and federal law since the early 1990s.
The National Centers complete shareholder resolution and General Electrics response to it can be found on pages 60 and 61 of the companys proxy statement - which is available here.
General Electric engaged the outside law firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP to petition the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to block the National Centers proposal. However the National Centers legal team led by Danhof prevailed and convinced the SEC that the National Centers proposal was so significant that the companys shareholders should have a say on the matter.
The entire legal exchange between General Electrics law firm and the National Center along with the SECs decision can be downloaded here.
Earlier this year Danhof presented a similar proposal to Apple. For more information about that meeting and shareholder resolution see here here and here.
The National Centers Free Enterprise Project is the nations preeminent free-market activist group focusing on shareholder activism and the confluence of big government and big business. In 2014-15 National Center representatives participated in 69 shareholder meetings advancing free-market ideals in the areas of health care energy taxes subsidies regulations religious freedom food policies media bias gun rights workers rights and many other important public policy issues.
The National Center for Public Policy Research founded in 1982 is a non-partisan free-market independent conservative think-tank. Ninety-four percent of its support comes from individuals less than four percent from foundations and less than two percent from corporations. It receives over 350000 individual contributions a year from over 96000 active recent contributors. Sign up for free issue alerts here or follow us on Twitter at @NationalCenter.
