U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson has a message for Georgia lawmakers considering "religious freedom" legislation: leave it to Congress.
The Republican, who is seeking a third term this year, said after an Atlanta Press Club event Wednesday that an overarching national policy is better than a patchwork of state plans.
“We ought to have a single, federal standard,” he said. “That ought to be dealt with at the federal level, not the state level.”
State Sen. Josh McKoon, the sponsor of the state version of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, often argues that the patchwork of local standards compelled him to propose the legislation.
Isakson said that it doesn't mean he opposes state-level legislation, but that he favors uniformity.
"If you had 50 different state standards, it would make it difficult for anyone to do anything," he said. "You have conflicting standards. I think it's best dealt with at the federal level."
He is among the sponsors of the First Amendment Defense Act, which supporters say is intended to protect those who do not want to issue marriage licenses based on their religious beliefs. A parallel version of that legislation is set to be proposed in Georgia by state Sen. Greg Kirk.
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