A bill that makes clear no religious leader can be forced to perform a same-sex wedding gets its first hearing by a House panel on Thursday.

House Bill 757, the so-called Pastor Protection Act, will be before a House Judiciary subcommittee at 3 p.m. Thursday in room 132 of the state Capitol.

Proposed by Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, the bill is sponsored by Rep. Kevin Tanner, R-Dawsonville. Ralston has indicated it is the one of several pending bills dealing with religious liberty that he will support.

Read our breakdown of all the related bills and what they would do here.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Voting signs are shown outside of a voting precinct during the state house runoff in District 106 at the Praise Community Church in Gwinnett County, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Lawrenceville, Ga. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Featured

Austin Walters died from an overdose in 2021 after taking a Xanax pill laced with fentanyl, his father said. A new law named after Austin and aimed at preventing deaths from fentanyl has resulted in its first convictions in Georgia, prosecutors said. (Family photo)

Credit: Family photo