Georgia Republican-led Senate passes controversial Religious Freedom Bill
Religious Freedom Bill passes Senate
The Republican-led state Senate passed a Religious Freedom Bill on Tuesday. It passed over the objection of Democrats who call the bill discriminatory and say it's bad for business.
ATLANTA - The Republican-led Georgia Senate passed a religious freedom bill Tuesday over the objection of Democrats who called the bill discriminatory and said it's bad for business.
Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act
What we know:
Sen. Ed Setzler (R-Acworth) is sponsoring the "Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act" bill.
Setzler debated the legislation on the Senate floor, telling colleagues it would ensure Georgians are able to exercise their religious faith without unfair federal, state and local government intrusion.
"This bill doesn't seek to wipe clean local ordinances that provide a high level of protections for certain groups of people," Sen. Setzler told reporters. "It doesn't seek to ignore those, it simply works in a way that it balances this."
Democrats share concerns
What they're saying:
Democrats blasted their Republican colleagues, arguing that if passed the religious freedom bill would allow people to use their religion as a free pass to discriminate.
They call the legislation another bill by the majority to please the MAGA base.
On Tuesday, Georgia's Republican-led Senate voted to pass the Religious Freedom Bill.
"Bills like this mean less economic investment for our state, fewer jobs, and a worse business climate for our companies," argued Sen. Elena Parent (D-Atlanta).
What's next:
The bill now heads to the House for consideration. Past efforts to pass similar legislation have failed.
The Source: FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Deidra Dukes interviewed Sen. Ed Setzler (R-Acworth) about the "Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act" bill. Sen. Elena Parent (D-Atlanta) argued her point of view on the Senate floor.