This article is from the source 'washpo' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/georgia-governor-vetoes-religious-exemptions-bill/2016/03/28/050ebe24-f4f1-11e5-958d-d038dac6e718_story.html

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Georgia governor says he will veto religious exemption bill Georgia governor vetoes religious freedom bill criticized as anti-gay
(35 minutes later)
ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal on Monday said he will veto legislation shielding opponents of same-sex marriage, after a groundswell of opposition from companies threatening to boycott the state if it became law. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (R) on Monday vetoed a controversial religious liberties bill that had provoked outrage from Hollywood, sports leagues and corporations for what critics said was its discrimination against gay and transgender people.
The Republican announced his decision during a news conference in his office at the Georgia Capitol, saying, “I have examined the protections that this bill proposes to provide to the faith based community and I can find no examples of any of those circumstances occurring in our state.” “I do not think we have to discriminate against anyone to protect the faith-based community in Georgia, which I and my family have been a part of for generations,” Deal said at a news conference announcing his decision.
Deal added, “I do not think that we have to discriminate against anyone to protect the faith-based community in Georgia.” Deal’s decision comes two weeks after the state legislature passed a bill aimed at shoring up the rights of religious organizations to refuse services that clash with their faith, particularly with regard to same-sex marriage. Deal, who had already expressed discomfort with the measure, came under enormous pressure to veto the bill after the National Football League suggested it might pass over Atlanta for future Super Bowls, and leading Hollywood figures threatened to pull production from the state.
Republican majorities passed the bill to broadly protect people whose actions were rooted in their religion. It also would have protected clergy who won’t perform gay marriages and people who won’t attend a wedding for religious reasons. [‘We have deep concerns’: Hollywood stars threaten Georgia over religious liberty bill]
Churches and affiliated religious groups could have used their faith as an argument for refusing to serve or hire someone. The decision drew immediate praise from gay rights groups.
The bill’s opponents said it excused discrimination and could trample local ordinances protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. “Today, Governor Deal heard the voices of Georgians, civil rights organizations, as well as the many leaders in the entertainment industry and private sector who condemned this attack on the fundamental rights of LGBT people, and he has set an example for other elected officials to follow,” Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement.
Coca-Cola and other big-name Georgia companies joined the NFL, prominent Hollywood figures and film studios urging Deal to reject the proposal. Some threatened to boycott the state if Deal didn’t veto. Social conservatives, however, accused Deal of flinching in the face of liberal opposition. Among those who immediately expressed disappointment via Twitter was Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission at the Southern Baptist Convention.
Deal, in his second and final term, heatedly said that those threats and questions about “my convictions and my character” from some in the religious community were misguided. GA Gov. @NathanDeal veto of religious liberty protection is shameful. — Russell Moore (@drmoore) March 28, 2016
“I do not respond very well to insults or to threats,” he said. “The people of Georgia deserve a leader who will make sound judgments based on solid reasons that are not inflamed by emotion.” GA Gov. @NathanDeal veto of religious liberty protection is shameful.
Deal said he would sign the bill had it passed in its original form, which was limited to protecting clergy who declined to perform same-sex marriages. He said his decision to reject the bill was “about the character of our state and the character of our people. Georgia is a welcoming state; it is full of loving, kind and generous people.” — Russell Moore (@drmoore) March 28, 2016
Georgia’s General Assembly already has left the Capitol for the year, adjourning after midnight on Thursday. Lawmakers can ask the governor to convene a special session, but need a three-fifths majority in both the House and Senate. GA Gov. @NathanDeal sell-out to big business pressure on religious freedom one more example of what serving Mammon does to the common good. — Russell Moore (@drmoore) March 28, 2016
If they can reach that threshold, overriding a governor’s veto requires a two-thirds vote in each chamber. Republicans don’t hold that margin in either the House or Senate, and all Democrats voted against the bill. Several Republicans in the House and one in the Senate also cast dissenting votes. GA Gov. @NathanDeal sell-out to big business pressure on religious freedom one more example of what serving Mammon does to the common good.
At least one Republican state senator, Mike Crane of Newnan, called for a special session to override the veto. Crane is running for a congressional seat. Another supporter of the bill, Republican Sen. Josh McKoon of Columbus, wouldn’t make any guess about whether there is enough support for a special session. — Russell Moore (@drmoore) March 28, 2016
“I’m just disappointed,” McKoon said. “Governor Deal ran for office as someone the faith community could rely on.” Georgia is not the only state contending with a backlash over legislation considered anti-gay. North Carolina last week enacted a law reversing civil rights protections for gay and transgender people that had been passed in Charlotte and requires transgender people to use restrooms that correspond with their genders on their birth certificates. The law, which was introduced, passed and signed by Gov. Pat McCrory (R) on the same day, also provoked criticism from businesses and sports leagues, including the National Basketball Association, which threatened to move next year’s All-Star game out of the state.
Representatives for House Speaker David Ralston and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle didn’t immediately respond to request for comment on Deal’s veto or their next steps. Also Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union and gay rights groups announced that they planned to file suit on behalf of several organizations and individuals who say they will be harmed by the North Carolina law.
National gay-rights organizations immediately hailed Deal’s decision. [‘Wrong beyond repair.’ ‘The worst in us.’ N.C. papers blast transgender bathroom law.]
“We thank Governor Deal for doing the right thing,” said Matt McTighe, Freedom for All Americans executive director. “The governor understands that while our freedom of religion is of critical importance, it doesn’t mean there’s a need for harmful exemptions that can lead to discrimination.” If signed into law, the Georgia bill would have allowed pastors to opt out of performing same-sex weddings and would have given religious organizations the ability to refuse certain services, including charitable services, if doing so clashed with their religious beliefs. Faith-based organizations also would have been permitted to use their religious beliefs to govern hiring and firing decisions.
___ Similar measures have been introduced around the country in an effort to protect people of faith from being forced to condone or participate in same-sex marriage, which became legal nationally last year as a result of the Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges.
Associated Press writer Ryan Phillips contributed to this report. Gay rights groups, however, contended that the measure essentially legalized discrimination by giving organizations that receive taxpayer funding the ability to deny employment to gay and transgender people. They called on large corporations that do business in the state to express their opposition, and an onslaught of companies paid heed, including AT&T, Bank of America and Google. The state’s major sports franchises came out in opposition to the bill as well.
___ Perhaps most significant was a backlash from the movie industry, which gets significant tax credits to film productions in the state and contributed some $6 billion to the state’s economy during the last fiscal year.
This story has been corrected to say that one Republican senator voted against the religious exemptions bill. A previous version said that one House Republican voted no. In his remarks, Deal did not refer to gay rights but rather argued that the measure was essentially a solution in search of a problem. He argued that Georgia already has robust protections for people and organizations of faith. However, he said he was troubled by the final bill because it “could give rise to state-sanctioned discrimination.”
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. “Georgia,” he said, “is a welcoming state.”