[nfb-talk] Text from Arkansas Times Blog

[Dick and Donna Walker]

Sorry, don'


t know why the blog link didn't work: did here. The other link to the bill
text should work fine.  Otherwise, just Google the bill number and you can
get the full text. 


/  <http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/human-rights/> Human
rights Governor exploring possibility of compromise on HB 1228 


Posted By David Ramsey
<http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/ArticleArchives?author=861944>  on Tue,
Mar 31, 2015 at 1:20 PM 


click to enlarge
<http://www.arktimes.com/imager/willing-to-compromise-hester-and-ballinge/b/
original/3781708/9788/ballingerhester.jpg> WILLING TO COMPROMISE? Hester and
Ballinger have been resistant thus far. - BRIAN CHILSON 

.         Brian Chilson 

.         WILLING TO COMPROMISE? Hester and Ballinger have been resistant
thus far. 


Could a compromise be brewing on HB 1228, the so-called "religious
conscience" bill that opponents argue would offer additional legal
protection for discrimination against gay people? The following is what we
can report based on multiple sources at the Capitol speaking on background: 

Gov. Asa Hutchinson appears to be looking for a way out of the current
controversy. Particularly with the increasing volume of media coverage and
corporate backlash around the similar law in Indiana, the governor has real
concerns about the law's impact on economic development, sources say. 

In separate meetings this morning, the governor and his chief of staff,
Michael Lamoureux, met with two backers of the bill - Sen. Bart Hester and
Rep. Bob Ballinger - and two opponents of the bill - Rep. Warwick Sabin and
Sen. Joyce Elliott. 

The governor is potentially interested in the concept, also floated by Gov.
Mike Pence in Indiana, of adding a "clarification" amendment to the bill
that would expressly state that the law does not authorize discrimination or
make it lawful to discriminate. The amendment would expressly list various
categories - race, religion, old age, etc. - and would include sexual
orientation and gender identity. 

Given that Ballinger and the bill's proponents have said over and over that
the bill is not intended to protect discrimination - indeed, he claims it's
only about preventing discrimination - this would appear to be a change in
line with their stated purpose, but sources say they are still resistant to
such an amendment (Ballinger rejected the idea yesterday in committee and
thus far today has given every indication that he plans to proceed with the
bill as is). Hutchinson is reportedly making the pitch around the effort to
recruit business to the state, but it's unclear at this stage whether the
governor's muscle can push a compromise through. 

Ballinger may be reluctant to back down and cave after so strongly rejecting
the idea of an amendment. More cynically, it's possible that the groups like
the Family Council pushing the bill would prefer that it offer additional
protections to Christians discriminating against gay people, in which case
the clarifying amendment would defeat one of their purposes. Again,
Ballinger has insisted that's not the case; read between the lines as you
like. Of course, with such an amendment, Ballinger would probably be
particularly unhappy about a law that he sponsored including explicit
protections for gay and transgender people found nowhere else in the
Arkansas code.


HB 1228 opponents who are now backing a compromise argue that this is the
best way forward given the limited time left in the session. They also
project that Pence in Indiana is likely to pursue a similar strategy based
on his press conference this morning. One argument they made to Hutchinson
for compromise is that HB 1228 was dissimilar to other "Religious Freedom
Restoration Act" laws in other states because Arkansas has no protection in
the law for discrimination against LGBT people (unlike, for example, a state
like Illinois) so this amendment was necessary for clarification.   

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