ATLANTA — The Georgia Senate passed a religious freedom bill on a pivotal day where legislation lives or dies in the state.
It's a measure that critics say will create freedom to discriminate, while backers believe it merely strengthens the rights of people of faith. And it passed on Crossover Day -- the day when any proposed laws that haven't moved from one legislative chamber to the other for consideration are dead for that session.
In terms of the bill's language, it states, “the government shall not substantially burden a person’s exercise of religion” and allows for civil penalties if it happens.
That said, religious freedom is a concept Georgia Republicans have been chasing for most of the last decade.
"It’s common sense," said state Rep. Ed Setzler (R-Acworth), whose bill is one of the reasons that supporters of the LGBTQ community filled the halls of the capitol this week – trying to stop legislation they say harms their community.
Setzler contends his religious freedom bill doesn’t create such harm.
"What we bring you today is something that deeply matters. For deeply held religious beliefs, not invidious discrimination," Setzler told senators.
However, State Sen. Kim Jackson (D-Stone Mountain) disagrees and said the bill could affect her wife and family by giving license to the devoutly religious to discriminate against them.
"This doesn’t just affect my family. It doesn’t affect just LGBTQ families," Jackson said. "Legislation like this is an invitation. It’s an invitation to Georgians to consider how they want to discriminate. It’s a permission slip."
Republicans lifted the bill to passage on a party-line vote – the backers of the bill were heartened by the prospect of finally getting a religious freedom bill enacted.
"I think people being able to live out their faith as protected by the first amendment enshrined here in Georgia is a positive development," said Mack Parnell of the Faith and Freedom Coalition after the vote.
But opponents are hopeful this year’s version will go in the direction of previous ones.
"Each and every time, it ultimately has been rejected as too divisive and wrong for Georgia. I hope that we will have the same result this year," said Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality.
In 2016 Republican Governor Nathan Deal vetoed a religious freedom bill pushed by Republican lawmakers, citing "concern that (it) may in fact encourage or allow discrimination, that it be sanctioned by the state."
However, it was much wordier than the one that passed the Senate on Thursday. This year’s simpler version now heads to the Georgia House of Representatives.