Republican leaders in the Indiana House
have tabled an attempt to prohibit discrimination based on sexual
orientation and gender identity in the areas of housing, employment
and public accommodations.
Democratic Rep. Ed DeLaney of
Indianapolis made the proposal in response to an uproar over passage
of a so-called religious freedom bill that opponents argued would
allow businesses to deny services to gay men and lesbians. The
backlash led Republican Governor Mike Pence to ask lawmakers for a
“fix” to the law. Language added to the bill states that
businesses could not use it as a legal defense for refusing to
provide services to gay couples.
“I think the state needs to stop
suffering about this,” DeLaney told the AP. “The discussion
about the religious freedom law has not ended, either on a local or a
state or even national basis. … I think it is time to get this
behind us.”
Republicans on Tuesday said that the
proposal didn't meet House rules for consideration.
“If we are going to have the
protected class discussion, that's a pretty deep dive, and there are
a lot of issues from both sides that need to be fully taken into
consideration,” said House Majority Leader Jud McMillin, a
Republican from Brookville. “It would be best to do that
throughout the course of an entire session.”
Pence has previously said that he's
opposed to such laws.
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