One of eight religious freedom bills made its way through subcommittee Thursday, and how heads to the full Judiciary Committee for approval.
HB 757, the “Pastor Protection Bill” ensures that a religious official is not required to perform a same-sex marriage ceremony. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Kevin Tanner, (R-Dawsonville) but also has the backing of House Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge). House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams (D-Atlanta) also expressed support for this bill.
“The Pastor Protection Act is a simple reaffirmation of our bedrock principle of separation of church and state,” said Tanner.
Ralston added that this bill is a “reaffirmation that Georgia will honor the separation between Church and State.”
Some lawmakers question the need for the bill — stating that this protection is already guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Sponsors of the bill say it is the result of a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage.
Nearly 20 states have adopted similar laws which were modeled on a federal statute of the same name signed by Democratic President Bill Clinton in 1993. Ironically, in Florida Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee approved their “pastor protection” bill after much discussion. The Florida measure now moves to the Senate committee. In Florida, the bill passed on a near-party line vote in the committee, with only one Democrat voting for the bill.
As approved Thursday, HB 757 would also allow religious organizations to refuse to rent, lease or allow their property to used for purposes that are contradictory to their beliefs.
This approval came on the heels of another do-pass recommendation from the House Education Committee Wednesday which is designed to ensure the student athlete’s rights to express their religious beliefs. HB 870, sponsored by Rep. Brian Strickland (R-McDonough) is now headed to the Rules Committee.
Strickland explained that the legislation stemmed from an incident when a student was disqualified from a track meet because of religious writing on his headband.
Some of the eight religious freedom bills have conservatives squaring off against each other, including two of the bills which are being referred to as the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act (RFRA) — the first of which was sponsored by Sen. Josh McKoon (R-Columbus) in 2015. SB 129 passed the Senate last year, but stalled in House Judiciary committee when it was amended to include an anti-discriminatory clause.
Another of the eight bills protects florists, bakeries and other businesses from forcibly participating in gay weddings. And still another bill is being referred to as the first amendment defense act, while another is aimed at stopping government outreach against religious expression.
