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Deal vetoes 'Religious Freedom' Bill

ATLANTA -- Governor Nathan Deal has made a decision on the controversial Religious Freedom Bill.

At a press conference held Monday morning at the State Capital, Deal vetoed House Bill 757, saying it contained language that causes concern.

VIDEO | Gov. Deal vetoes Religious Freedom Bill

The bill was initially passed in direct reaction and opposition to the US Supreme Court’s decision legalizing same-sex marriage, according to one of its original sponsors, Sen. Greg Kirk (R-13th Dist, Americus) in February.

HB 757 appeared in several forms during the 2016 legislative session," said Deal. “I had no objection to the 'Pastor Protection Act' that was passed by the House of Representatives. The other versions of the bill, however, contained language that could give rise to state-sanctioned discrimination. I did have problems with that and made my concerns known as did many other individuals and organizations, including some within the faith-based community.I appreciate the efforts of the General Assembly to address these concerns and my actions today in no way disparage their motivations on those who support this bill. Their efforts to purge this bill of any possibility that it will allow or encourage discrimination illustrates how difficult it is to legislate on something that is best left to the broad protections of the First Amendment to the United State Constitution. If indeed our religious liberty is conferred by God and not by the man-made government, we should heed the 'hands-off' admonition of the First Amendment to our Constitution. When legislative bodies attempt to do otherwise, the inclusions and omissions in their statutes can lead to discrimination, even though it may be unintentional. That is too great a risk to take.

Earlier this month, several major corporations investing money in Georgia made it known they would take their business elsewhere should the bill pass.

Walt Disney Company and its Marvel Studios subsidiary announced they would consider no longer filming in Georgia. The studio shot both Ant Man and Captain America: Civil War in the state and had planned on shooting Thor: Ragnarok, Spider-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 in the coming months.

The NFL also suggested its disapproval of the bill. The new Mercedes Benz Stadium is among a short list of stadiums believed to be in the running for an upcoming Super Bowl. The passing of HB757 would have jeopardized the Super Bowl returning to Atlanta for the first time since 2000.

Deal, who has made his mark politically as a governor who's tried to make Georgia a top state for business, vetoed the bill 12 days after it passed in the legislature.

Backers of the bill said it would protect people who don't support gay marriage from government intrusion. But Deal said he could find no such cases in Georgia.

Dave Baker, who lobbied for the bill, said that shouldn’t have mattered.

"The point is we shouldn’t wait for harm to happen," Baker said. "The General Assembly passes laws every day that to try to prevent harm from happening, to try to protect citizens of the state. And it’s unfortunate that the governor vetoed this."

But Deal’s veto was a relief to friends of the LGBT community – who feared the bill would encourage Georgians to discriminate against gays and lesbians, and even single mothers.

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