Arguments over “religious liberty” at the state Capitol are far from over, but the Georgia Senate signaled Monday that it may have had enough.
A modified version of Senate Bill 129 passed that chamber's Judiciary Committee unanimously, signaling a compromise by GOP leaders who held the bill up last week despite pressure from conservatives to pass it.
The new version is sparser and hews to federal language already on the books. It does not, however, include an anti-discrimination amendment first proposed by Senate Majority Leader Bill Cowsert, R-Athens, to state clearly that the government had a compelling interest to act against religious beliefs if it prevented child abuse or protected individuals from discrimination.
On Monday, Cowsert said he was satisfied without it. Cowsert took care to praise McKoon, saying he had been “unfairly attacked in the press and some groups trying to make an argument that it’s a pretext for religious discrimination.”
SB 129 is one of two pieces of legislation at the Capitol — the other is House Bill 218 — that supporters say would prevent government intrusion on faith-based beliefs. It uses much the same language as federal legislation that Congress passed in 1993 and carries President Bill Clinton's signature. It asserts that government has to show a compelling interest for why its policy should override an individual's religious freedom.
The proposal is at the center of one of the fiercest debates this legislative session. Supporters cast it as a new line of defense to protect people of any religion from interference. Opponents warn it’s a discriminatory end run on the First Amendment that could allow business owners to cite religious beliefs to deny people service.
The measure was approved Monday by the committee with lightning speed. It wasn’t on the agenda and state Sen. Vincent Fort, an outspoken critic, was in the bathroom when it passed.
“It seems to me the right thing would have been to delay the vote until all the members who had appeared at the committee were in the room,” said Fort, D-Atlanta.
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