Posted on 03/17/2016 2:18:05 AM PDT by Nextrush
The Georgia Legislature over the course of a few hours Wednesday unveiled changes to a controversial 'religious liberty" bill and gave it final passage, setting off a collision with corporate leaders and gay rights advocates over charges it would legalize discrimination in Georgia.
House Bill 757 now goes to Gov. Nathan Deal for his signature to become law, a culmination of two years of debate, attacks, counter-attacks and emotional speeches from both supporters and opponents.
When introduced early this year, the bill originally promised pastors forced to perform a same-sex wedding ceremony. The Senate, however, added language last month that would have allowed faith-based organizations and individuals to opt out of serving couples-gay or straight-or following anti-discrimination requirments if they cited a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction regarding marriage.
The changes unveiled Wednesday made more changes after Gov. Nathan Deal and House Speaker David Ralston, objected to the Senate version. While the bill still says no pastor can be forced to perform a same-sex wedding ceremony, it adds language that says no individual can be forced to attend one.
The bill would protect faith-based organizations from having to rent or allow its facility to be used for an event it finds "objectionable".....
Georgia's powerful corporate community and companies including Microsoft, Google, Coca-Cola and Home Depot, have opposed the bill and have said the state would see a crippling economic impact from such a bill becoming law, under threats of boycotts from both business convention organizers and national LGBT advocates.....
(Excerpt) Read more at ajc.com ...
Governor Deal has denounced this legislation, but changes were made to answer his objections. Will be sign it or buckle under to the corporate community, who not only want open borders and cheap labor, but oppose First Amendment religious freedom.
1 to 3 percent of the population is going to cripple the state’s economy? They must be very rich in order to have that much undue influence.
There exists today a Strong Delusion, and it is growing.
The Georgia KY lube and butt plug market will be decimated.
Sad that we even have to have state Religious Liberty bills in the first place.
States are having to vote to uphold the 1st Amendment, and that is just bizarre that it has come to this.
Bizarre and tragic. The implied concession is that without such laws, there are no 1st Amendment rights available.
“...would legalize discrimination in Georgia.”
Funny, everyone ‘discriminates’ day in/out. What place to eat, where to buy XYZ, how to get to point B from A...
But, some animals are more equal that others??
Talk about FUBAR. The 1st A. makes it clear enough; there is NO need for MORE legalize that you could navigate a cargo ship through.
. . . it includes much of the language found federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, which requires government to prove a compelling governmental interest before it interferes with a person’s exercise of religion.
IOW, our religious freedom is subject to the Left's social justice whims.
I doubt the law will accomplish its ends.
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