Dayton bans state employees from traveling to Mississippi

Gov. Mark Dayton is banning state employees from nonessential travel to Mississippi, making the southern state the second Dayton has targeted in less than a week for enacting controversial laws.

Dayton sent a letter Wednesday to all state employees, directing them to stop all nonessential travel to Mississippi until the state repeals a law allowing religious groups and private businesses to deny services to gay and transgender people.

The Democratic governor says when the rights of some Americans are threatened, it is the responsibility of all Americans to oppose "discriminatory acts."

The letter follows a similar one that Dayton sent Saturday to state employees, directing them to stop all nonessential travel to North Carolina. That state's Republican governor has signed a law limiting bathroom options for transgender people and prohibiting communities from enacting anti-discrimination ordinances.