Politics

Religious Freedom Bill Back On The Legislative Docket

January 7th, 2015

After months of speculation about whether one of last year’s most controversial legislative proposals would resurface, the so-called Religious Freedom bill is back on the docket for this year’s state legislative session.

Separate versions in the House and Senate sparked backlash last year from democrats, LGBT advocates and corporations. Both ultimately failed after pushback from the likes of big-name brands like Coca-Cola, Delta and Home Depot. Critics argued the bill would have allowed private businesses to discriminate against people, particularly the LGBT community, on religious grounds, and thus cost the state jobs.

Advocates, however, said those criticisms were a red herring. They argued the bill merely mirrored the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1993, and would extend laws that protect people from government interference in their religious beliefs to the state level.As heard on the radio

The bill’s House sponsor, Republican Sam Teasley, says he went about clarifying that in a new bill he’s filed ahead of the upcoming legislative session.

“I’ve gone out of my way and to make sure it’s very clear that this bill is about restricting government action and not getting involved in the business transaction,” Teasley says.

The Marietta representative says his bill would only apply to acts by the state government, and that he’s stripped out the controversial language that sparked backlash last year. He points to laws that prohibit giving food to the homeless in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Raleigh, N.C.; and a number of other cities that as an example of the type of laws his bill would protect against.

Jeff Graham, who heads Georgia Equality, says while it’s clear Teasley made a good attempt to rewrite the bill, there are still problems.

“It does not specifically exclude corporations from claiming a religious exemption, and it is certainly my understanding that if corporations are not specifically excluded under state law, then corporations could still claim a religious exemption,” Graham says.

Graham says his organization plans to reach out to Teasley about amending the bill. In its current form, though, Graham says he’s opposed to the bill and that Georgia Equality will mobilize against it.