Back in January, in the wake of a series of new laws in mostly Southern states that promote or condone discrimination against the LGBT community, a California law took effect banning the use of state funds for state employee or official travel to four states: Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee. As of this week, Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced that the list has now doubled and includes four more states that have enacted similar laws: Alabama, Kentucky, South Dakota and Texas. As the Mercury-News puts it, "California has its own travel ban."

Texas, South Dakota, and Alabama all enacted new laws allowing foster and adoption agencies to refuse to place children with same-sex couples for "faith-based" reasons. In Kentucky, a recently enacted law protecting "religious expression" in schools appears to permit LGBT discrimination in student organizations.

"Our country has made great strides in dismantling prejudicial laws that have deprived too many of our fellow Americans of their precious rights,” says Becerra in a press release. "Sadly, that is not the case in all parts of our nation, even in the 21st Century."

And in a news conference Thursday alongside reps from the ACLU, Becerra said, "We will not spend taxpayer dollars in states that discriminate."

The original CA law, AB 1887, came into being late last year following the much publicized and controversial North Carolina law regarding the use of gendered restrooms by transgender people — the passage of which led to multiple companies and organizations, including the NBA and the SF Symphony, canceling plans in the state. The North Carolina legislature repealed the law, known as HB2, in March of this year, but Republicans there insisted on provisions preventing future anti-discrimination measures.

As soon as HB2 passed in March 2016, SF Mayor Ed Lee banned all non-essential city-funded travel to North Carolina.

The California travel ban makes exceptions for trips needed to enforce California laws, tax auditors, and to fulfill contracts made before 2017, but travel to conferences and the like will be banned. And, interestingly, California's Board of Equalization keeps an office in Houston, as the Sacramento Bee points out.

The governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, immediately responded, via a spokesperson, saying, "California may be able to stop their state employees, but they can't stop all the businesses that are fleeing over taxation and regulation and relocating to Texas." Fox News was quick to pick up that comment.

Previously: In Wake Of Anti-LGBT Law Passage, Mayor Ed Lee Bans City-Funded Travel To North Carolina