Georgia lawmakers on Thursday started the last day of this year’s legislative session with some fireworks over religious liberty legislation, but left the bill stalled as controversy continued to swirl around similar measures in Indiana and Arkansas.
The Legislature then began plowing through stacks of other bills in a race to finish business by midnight on the last day of the 40-day session, or sine die, Latin for "without day." The Senate rejected legislation that would authorize Atlanta to assess fees for 911-related services. Moments later, senators revived House Bill 650 before tabling it for consideration next year.
Many other weighty pieces of legislation remained hanging in the balance as of Thursday afternoon. Among them are bills that could increase funding for MARTA, require greater transparency from the State Board of Pardons and Paroles and allow breweries to send visitors home with limited amounts of beer.
“Does anybody know what day it is?” House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, announced before his chamber started work. “Welcome to day 40 and thank you for a great session.”
Soon after the Senate started business around 10 a.m., state Sen. Joshua McKoon of Columbus took to the well and railed against corporations that have spoken out against his "Religious Freedom Restoration Act," Senate Bill 129. Supporters describe it as a way to protect people of any religion from government interference. Opponents worry it could lead to discrimination against gays and lesbians and inspire frivolous lawsuits.
“When those corporations stop doing business with the ayatollahs and when they stop doing business with countries where homosexuality is a capital crime, then I will be interested in their opinion at that point,” McKoon said. “But unless and until that happens, I don’t really think what they have to say matters a whole heck of a lot.”
McKoon did not identify the businesses to which he was referring. But Atlanta-based Coca-Cola on Thursday released a statement, saying it does not support "any legislation that discriminates in our home state of Georgia or anywhere else."
“Coca-Cola values and celebrates diversity,” the company’s statement says. “We believe policies that would allow a business to refuse service to an individual based upon discrimination of any kind [do] not only violate our company’s core values, but would also negatively affect our consumers, customers, suppliers, bottling partners and associates.”
Arkansas and Indiana’s legislatures recently passed similar bills. But the Republican governors in both states have called for changes after firestorms of controversy erupted there. Those states’ bills have come under heavy criticism from businesses and gray rights advocates.
After McKoon spoke, Sen. Nan Orrock, D-Atlanta, reminded the Senate how Georgia businesses opposed the same legislation last year.
“Just at the moment when we were at peril of having that bill passed and sent to the governor’s desk,” she said, “we were actually blessed, in my opinion, by seeing what happened in the state of Indiana, where a Republican governor signed a very similar bill and we saw the eruption of deep concern across a wide array of business interests.”
Several other Republican state senators then rose and indicated their support for the legislation. SB 129 passed the Senate last month but remains stalled in a House committee.
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