ATLANTA — A week after lawmakers rejected a new religious liberty bill, Republicans changed their minds and passed it over the objections of Democrats.
Democrats and minority groups insist this bill will allow businesses to discriminate. But supporters insist the only groups not protected under the law are religious groups.
This bill would change that.
Procedural sparks flew at a committee hearing Wednesday, as Republicans essentially did a do-over on last week’s failed vote on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or RFRA.
“If someone wanted to challenge the rule of the chair, it would’ve been proper to do it at that meeting, not today,” state Rep. Trey Kelley said.
This time, Republican lawmakers prevailed, passing RFRA out of that committee.
The bill is sponsored by Acworth Republican state Sen. Ed Setzler. He said, if enacted, it would protect people of faith from unwarranted government intrusions.
“I’m excited. Senate Bill 326 is a balanced bill,” Setzler said.
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Setzler insists this bill is needed and necessary.
“Senate Bill 36 takes the middle course in addressing the basic rights of people of faith by exactly mirroring the same protections that we have from the federal government and applying those to state and local governmental agencies,” Setzler said.
Atlanta Democrat Stacey Evans doesn’t think the committee acted properly in the way it did the vote do-over.
“What just happened in this House judiciary committee, which has more lawyers than any other committee in this body, is an embarrassment,” Evans said.
She said that without underlying state civil rights protections, this bill does nothing but give people license to discriminate against those they don’t like.
“If it wasn’t his intent, if it wasn’t the intent of this body to discriminate, then why are we opposed to amendments that make it clear we’re not discriminating?” Evans said.
The bill will now head to the House for a vote.
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