In a direct attack on faithful Georgians, the special interest lobby representing the big government interests of cities and municipalities sowed confusion, offered an anti-faith amendment, and halted momentum for the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Partnering primarily with Democrats, these special interests have now hijacked the bill – inserting bad language and initially seeing the bill get voted down.
We are urging conservative leadership under the Gold Dome to take swift action, remove this poison amendment, and pass SB 36 as the clean RFRA it was intended to be. What Senator Setzler has offered is exactly what Governor Kemp has pledged to sign, and efforts to amend this bill are a direct affront to the conservative promise he has made.
It's disgusting that lobbyists paid for by your tax dollars are actively working to undermine your First Amendment rights. Yes, you are understanding this correctly – government entities tax you, pay for lobbyists at the Capitol, and are using those funds to suppress your religious freedom and ensure faithful Georgians are denied a day in court when their rights are violated.
I’d like to thank the conservatives who stood against this amendment. Representatives Tyler Paul Smith, Todd Jones, Martin Momtahan, Soo Hong, and Trey Kelley withstood a lengthy committee hearing to vote “no” on the amendment and to support religious freedom.
Because of the current posture in Committee, the bill now languishes. We are calling on the House Judiciary Committee to reconvene, strip the toxic language out of the bill, and pass the Kemp-approved version ASAP.
For too long, Georgia has been paired with California, New York, and Oregon. We are one of only 11 states that has failed to get this done – the only red one.
It’s time to quit playing around, quit cow-towing to special interests, and pass a clean RFRA now.
To Victory,
