In a Capitol press conference this morning, four members of the House Minority Caucus expressed their concerns with House Bill 757, now known as the “Free Exercise Protection Act.” Reps. Keisha Waites, Park Cannon, Karla Drenner, Dee Dawkins Haigler and Taylor Bennett said that while they were fine with the original Pastor Protection Act as
This week’s Courier Herald column: Another year is upon us where the end of the Georgia General Assembly coincides with Holy Week. Legislators should wrap up their annual business about the time the calendar turns to Good Friday. The difference between this year and last is that this time, legislators will leave town with a
As anyone following the spinning wheel of protest known as the #GAPol hashtag knows, there is a “Religious Freedom” bill sitting on the Governor’s desk awaiting his signature. …or veto. There has been a lot of hype and a lot of misdirection on this bill. Many still argue it wasn’t needed in the first place.
Mere hours after the controversial HB 757 was passed, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said companies and conventions have expressed reservations about coming to and staying in Atlanta. Also in jeopardy, Reed said, was Atlanta’s bid for the Super Bowl. A report in The Atlanta Business Chronicle says Reed was “inundated” with phone calls immediately following the bill’s passage: “I
Political capital is an odd commodity. In some cases, you can spend it, and end up with more than what you started with. Governor Deal’s promotion of criminal justice reform earned him votes in 2014 that he would not otherwise have had. In other cases, spending it the wrong way can quickly deplete your account.
8:14: Bill passes the Senate 37-18. The bill moves to the Governor, and assuming his signature, ends the debate over Religious Liberty in Georgia. Lt. Governor Cagle: The First Amendment and the free exercize of religious beliefs is an essential part of our democracy It deserves the utmost respect and protection. This legislation does just
Today in the House, several members went to the well speaking against an op-ed written by Georgia Baptist Convention lobbyist Mike Griffin. In the op-ed, Griffin compared the House and Speaker Ralston’s inaction on Religious Liberty bills to Hitler’s policy towards the separation of church and state. Jon wrote about the Representatives speaking against Griffin
A bipartisan group of Georgia legislators took to the House well this morning to condemn the statements of Georgia Mission Board lobbyist Mike Griffin in a blog post in the Christian Index. Before being edited, the post stated that: We must not let the government do to us what Hitler did to the pastors and
With seven legislative days remaining in the 2016 session, time to negotiate a compromise on House Bill 757, the Pastor Protection Act, is running short. After passing the House unanimously last month, the Senate amended the bill by attaching to it the First Amendment Defense Act, and returned it to the lower chamber, where is
For the second time in less than a week, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal has issued a strong statement opposing the religious liberty bill that includes both the Pastor Protection Act and the First Amendment Defense Act. Amended by the Senate and sent back to the House, HB 757 awaits movement in the lower chamber. As
