AGAINST A BACKLASH
2 states bend on controversial law
The governor of Arkansas on Wednesday called for changes to a religious objection measure that has faced a backlash from businesses and gay rights groups.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, said the law wasn’t intended to sanction discrimination based on sexual orientation, as critics have claimed.
Nonetheless, the governor said he wants changes to the bill lawmakers sent him prohibiting state and local government from infringing upon someone’s religious beliefs without a compelling interest. Hutchinson said he wants the legislature to either recall the bill or pass a follow- up measure to make the proposal more closely mirror a 1993 federal religious freedom law.
Hutchinson had initially supported the bill and on Tuesday his office had said he planned to sign it into law.
But by Wednesday, his position had changed. After Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed a similar measure last week, Pence and fellow Republicans endured days of sharp criticism. The Indiana governor is now seeking followup legislation to address concerns that the law could allow businesses to discriminate based on sexual orientation.
Neither the Indiana nor Arkansas law specifically mentions gays and lesbians, but opponents are concerned that the language could offer a legal defence to businesses and other institutions that refuse to serve gays, such as cater- ers, florists or photographers with religious objections to same- sex marriage.
Supporters insist the law will only give religious objectors a chance to bring their case before a judge.
Similar proposals have been introduced in more than a dozen states. Nineteen other states have similar laws on the books.
Conservative lawmakers have proposed the religious- protection laws as gay marriage advanced rapidly across America, an attempt to shield people from private discrimination lawsuits if they felt that doing business with same- sex couples violated their religious beliefs.
Echoing the reaction to Indiana’s law, Hutchinson has faced pressure from the state’s top employers, including retail giant Walmart, which complained that the measure was discriminatory and would stifle economic development. Little Rock’s mayor, the city’s chamber of commerce and Arkansas- based data services company Acxiom all urged the governor to reject the measure in recent days.
Other big names in businesses, including Apple, Gap and Levi Strauss, have also spoken out against the religious- objection measures.
Experts say companies are increasingly concerned about any laws that could alienate customers, hurt state economies or limit employers’ ability to attract and retain talent.
Arkansas- based Walmart is particularly influential because it is the world’s largest retailer and the nation’s largest private employer.
Indiana, meanwhile, faces a possible economic hit as businesses and organizations are cancelling events and barring travel to the state.
A number of companies have withdrawn their sponsorships for Indy Big Data, a tech conference scheduled in May. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says he has also cancelled all company travel to Indiana and pledged to “dramatically reduce” investment in the state. Salesforce bought Indianapolisbased Exact Target in 2013 for $ 2.5 billion.
The list of cities and states banning government- funded travel continues to grow. Governors in Connecticut, New York, Washington state and Vermont have barred travel over the law.