By Ana Campoy
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday called for changes to
a religious-freedom bill passed by the state's legislature, after
it sparked an outcry akin to the one that followed a similar law in
Indiana from groups and companies who say it could be used to
discriminate against gays and lesbians.
Mr. Hutchinson, a Republican, asked lawmakers to recall the bill
at a news conference Wednesday morning, saying that its language
must make clear that it isn't the intent of Arkansas to
discriminate.
"The issue has become divisive because our nation remains split
on how to balance the diversity of our culture with the traditions
and firmly held religious convictions," Mr. Hutchinson said, adding
that his own son signed a petition asking the governor to veto the
bill.
Mr. Hutchinson called on lawmakers to amend the current bill to
mirror federal religious-liberty laws, adding that so far he hasn't
gotten any commitments from them to do so.
The bill's supporters in the state House rebuffed a move by
other lawmakers to amend the bill before passing it Tuesday, saying
that the discrimination issue should be addressed elsewhere.
Jonathan Dismang, a Republican who serves as president pro
tempore of the state Senate, said it is "premature to say that
there will be an agreement," but added he is certain that none of
the state's lawmakers want a bill that allows discrimination.
In Indiana, widespread criticism over the religious-freedom law,
including calls for a boycott of the state, spurred GOP Gov. Mike
Pence on Tuesday to call for an amendment clarifying that the law
wouldn't permit businesses to deny service to gays and
lesbians.
Mr. Hutchinson said he has been in touch with local corporate
executives who are concerned that the current bill might be
creating an erroneous impression of the state. He is planning to
issue an executive order to communicate that "Arkansas wants to be
a place of tolerance, a place that has the right balance between
religious protection and nondiscrimination," he said.
The Arkansas bill, which protects individuals and companies from
state and local laws that infringe on their religious rights, was
approved by a sizable majority of legislators.
But a number of large companies--including Arkansas' largest
private employer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., and Apple Inc.--oppose it,
saying it would result in discrimination. Wal-Mart Chief Executive
Doug McMillon asked Gov. Hutchinson to veto the bill in a statement
released Tuesday on Twitter.
The mayor of the state's capital, Little Rock, and the Little
Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, have come out against the bill
as well, saying it would be bad for business.
The law is also facing backlash from some civil-rights
advocates. Ernie Green and Carlotta Walls Lanier, members of the
"Little Rock Nine" group that helped integrate that city's school
system in the late 1950s, called the bill "dangerous and
derogatory" in a statement released by Human Rights Campaign, an
advocacy group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
people.
Supporters of the bill say it is necessary to ensure that the
government doesn't infringe upon citizens' religious rights, adding
that its intent isn't to discriminate against gays and
lesbians.
Some said Wednesday that Mr. Hutchinson's request to amend it is
unnecessary.
"This is a good bill," said Jerry Cox, executive director of
Arkansas Family Council, a conservative group. "It was thoroughly
vetted by the legislative caucus."
The Arkansas measure, like Indiana's law, is wider in scope than
similar legislation passed in other states and at the federal
level, legal experts say. That is because it broadly defines the
exercise of religion as any action or refusal to act "substantially
motivated by a person's sincerely held religious beliefs,"
regardless of whether those beliefs are central to the religion in
question.
It also allows those who claim to have been grieved to sue any
entity under the law, even if that entity isn't a part of
government. The law doesn't apply to employees seeking to file a
lawsuit against private employers or the state's corrections
system.
Write to Ana Campoy at ana.campoy@wsj.com
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