After a decade of debate, Georgia now has a ‘religious liberty’ law

The proposal once drew massive protests from opponents, frequent national headlines and threats of boycotts from corporate giants. Gov. Nathan Deal’s veto of a version of the bill in 2016 was one of the defining moments of his two terms in office. That controversy has been eclipsed by new legislative fights ignited by President Donald Trump’s return to power, as lawmakers now feud over transgender restrictions, immigration crackdowns and other efforts echoing the president’s MAGA policies.

Still, social conservatives never relinquished their push for the legislation, which is modeled after the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, a federal law that limits the government’s ability to enforce laws that conflict with religious beliefs.

There was never any mystery whether Kemp would sign the measure, which has been adopted by about 30 other states. Republican state Sen. Ed Setzler, the bill’s sponsor, worked with the governor’s aides to piece together the bill to assure his support.

But the issue still remains toxic to business boosters and other opponents. They say it’s not needed because constitutional safeguards already preserve religious freedom, and they warn it could sanction discrimination against LGBTQ+ Georgians.

“Governor Kemp has made it clear that Georgia Republicans are more extreme than ever before,” said House Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley. “If Georgia wants to remain the number one state to do business in, we should put working families first.”

Democrats also point out that even the most outspoken supporters of the bill cannot cite a specific example where the measure was needed to reverse a restriction imposed on religious beliefs.

The bill’s sponsors have embraced that argument, saying there’s no guarantee that future leaders will uphold their rights. As Mike Griffin of the Georgia Baptist Mission put it at a recent hearing, lawmakers need to “put up a sprinkler system before you have a fire.”

They’re also buoyed by changing political dynamics. Though the Metro Atlanta Chamber and its allies still warn the proposal would “undermine the state’s strong reputation,” the days of totemic campaigns by corporate behemoths are over.

And Kemp laid down a marker on Friday. He argued it would be “foolish” for Georgia to lose business over the new law.

“Georgians and the business community know that I’m not going to back down,” he said. “And if that does happen, I’m going to support what we’ve done here today, because I think it’s a common sense piece of legislation that mirrors what a vast majority of other states have done.”