Back in 2014, I wrote a post about the Preservation of Religious Freedom Act, the first effort by Rep. Sam Teasley and Sen. Josh McKoon to pass a version of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in Georgia. In the post, I referred to the objections of a young Republican Christian activist who is also gay:
Atlanta Congressman John Lewis, who over the weekend tweeted his opposition to House Bill 757 issued a statement today regarding Governor Deal’s promised veto, saying he was glad to see state of Georgia was too busy to hate: I am very glad to hear that Governor Nathan Deal decided to veto HB 757, Georgia’s Free
The leaders of the Georgia General Assembly have weighed in in Governor Deal’s promise to veto House Bill 757, the Free Exercise Protection Act. Speaker of the House David Ralston said that in his opinion, the measure passed the non-discrimination test that he was looking for: I respect Governor Deal and the thoughtful consideration he
In a ten minute press conference, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal announced that he will veto House Bill 757, the Free Exercise Protection Act. “I do not think that we have to discriminate against anyone to protect the faith based community in Georgia of which I and my family have been a part of for all
“What must be done eventually must be done immediately” – Jeremy Foley The Governor has called a press conference for 10am this morning. While no reason has been given, the expectation is that guidance will be given on RFRA, and possibly the announcement of a veto could be forthcoming. A livestream can be viewed here.
Speaking to reporters shortly after banging the gavel to close out the 2016 legislative session Sine Die, House Speaker David Ralston said the the House was able to overcome partisanship and work on important measures, including the rape kit bill that was sponsored by Democratic Rep. Scott Holcomb of Atlanta. After House Bill 827 failed
Governor Nathan Deal visited the House and Senate Thursday evening to congratulate legislators and wish them luck in their upcoming re-election battles. He also took a few minutes to respond to reporters questions, which focused on the Free Exercise Protection Act, HB 757. The governor said he had listened to the concerns of both sides
Update 10:20 PM The future of the bill is in flux. The Senate has withdrawn their conferees, with the intention of creating a new conference report that doesn’t have the anti-discrimination language. However, we are within the two hour window that a bill must be on the table prior to a vote so the Senate
As Governor Deal considers whether he will sign or veto the Free Exercise Protection Act, presidential candidate Ted Cruz has released a list of 15 recommendations from his Religious Liberty Advisory Council regarding actions he should take if he were to win the presidency. In a statement, Se. Cruz said, During this Holy Week, as
Senator Greg Kirk of Americus held a press conference on Tuesday calling on Governor Deal to sign House Bill 757, the Free Exercise Protection Act. The senator, who is the author of the Georgia version of the First Amendment Defense Act and is the sponsor of the Free Excersise bill in the Senate, cited printed
