Atlanta – Legislators at Georgia’s house approved a controversial invoice On Wednesday that aims to protect people’s rights to express their religion, but critics say it could lead to discrimination.
Modeling after the Federal Law on Restoration of Religious Freedom, the bill would prevent governments from preventing someone’s religious rights in most cases and stop the application of laws that enter into conflict with someone’s religious expression. The State Chamber led by Republicans approved bill 96-70.
But the Democrats, including those who spoke about their Christian faith, said that without additional protections, the bill will allow people will discriminate against people LGBTQ+ and religious minorities. Two Republicans voted against, while a Democrat supported him.
The bill approved on Wednesday is similar to the highly disputed that former governor Nathan Deal Votó in 2016 in the midst of generalized protests and concerns of the Georgia business community that would harm his ability to attract employees and tourists. The Atlanta Metro Chamber opposed this year’s bill.
The sponsor of the bill, Senator Ed Setzler, a republican of Acworth, called Deal a “hero” for vetoing the previous proposal. He said that the new bill, designed in part by the staff of the current Republican governor Brian Kemp, is less extreme.
“Each Georgian should be free to exercise their faith without an unfair intrusion of the federal, state and local government,” Setzler said at a press conference on Tuesday. He said the bill “protects the common people from the unfair intrusion of the state and local government.”
Kempogó the approval of the bill in a statement and promised to sign it. The Senate approved the bill on March 4.
At least 29 states have similar laws.
Oppositors are concerned that the bill can lead to discrimination in a State that does not have a comprehensive law of civil rights that many states have. Oppositions also say that no more religious protections are necessary. When it was pressed during a meeting of the Judicial Committee of the Chamber, Setzler could not appoint a case in which someone’s religious freedoms were violated in a way that would require the protections of the bill.
“We are hitting the imaginary flies, and I’m fed up with it,” Atlanta Evans Democratic representative said Wednesday.
Supporters say that the bill would not annul the local protections of civil rights imposed by a handful of municipalities in Georgia.
“This is not a private citizens license to discriminate to private citizens,” said Republican representative Tyler Paul Smith, who presented the bill in the Chamber. “This prohibits the government from burning religious exercise in our state.”
Two Republicans, the Deborah Silcox representative of Sandy Springs Rep. Stan Ginter de Blairsville, joined the Democrats to vote against the measure at a previous meeting of the Judicial Committee of the Chamber. Silcox tried to add a measure against discrimination to the invoice, but that was not approved. She voted against the bill on the camera floor, but Gunter voted for it.
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Charlotte Kramon is a member of Associated Press’s body/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America It is a non -profit national service program that places journalists in local writing rooms to inform about undercover issues. Follow Kramon in X: @Charlottekramon.
