After hours of closed doors meeting with lawmakers, businesses and community leaders over the last few days, Republican legislative leaders Thursday announced their plan to clarify the controversial religious freedom bill. Concerns that the measure known as RFRA would be used to discriminate against gays and lesbians blossomed into national outrage since the governor signed the bill a week ago.
In response to severe backlash, Republican leaders crafted a follow-up bill to RFRA that says the controversial law cannot be used to deny services, goods, housing or employment to anyone on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Speaker Brian Bosma says the language clarifying RFRA is unequivocal.
“Indiana is open for business," says Bosma. "We welcome everyone; we discriminate against no one.”
But House Democratic Leader Scott Pelath says clarifying language isn’t enough to solve the problem. He says full repeal must be the first step.
“The people who made the problem in the first place got behind closed doors with some quaking-in-their-boots business leaders and hammered something out in private," says Pelath. "You pull together a press conference, you get the window dressing in place, and you tell the people of Indiana everything’s okay. Well it’s not okay.”
Republican leaders say full repeal isn’t on the table.
