Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp kicked off the final day of the 2025 legislative session by signing Senate Bill 36, also known as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), into law, appeasing some Georgian residents who have been calling for stronger protections under state law for free exercise of religion.
The bill mirrors federal legislation that has been in place since 1993, and imposes new restrictions on state and local governments’ ability to “substantially burden a person’s exercise of religion” unless it is “in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest.” It gained final passage out of the House on April 2 in a 96-70 vote that fell largely along party lines.
Democrats in particular have opposed the bill, arguing that without statewide civil rights protections, a RFRA law would allow Georgians greater leeway to discriminate against LGBTQ people and religious minorities.
Establishing new religious protections under state law has been a goal of the Georgia GOP since shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in 2015. The bill’s sponsor, Acworth Republican Sen. Ed Setzler, first introduced the legislation nearly a decade ago during the 2016 legislative session. The same year, a similar religious freedom bill passed out of the Georgia Legislature, but was ultimately vetoed by then-Governor Nathan Deal, who said he wanted to keep Georgia “a welcoming state.”
Prior to Deal’s veto, some of Georgia’s largest employers, including Coca Cola and Delta Air Lines, warned that the RFRA bill that the Legislature passed would create a law that made recruiting essential workers more difficult.
In a speech immediately after signing the bill, Kemp downplayed concerns that the bill could increase discrimination, drawing parallels between RFRA and legislation from previous sessions aimed at combating hate crimes in the wake of Ahmaud Arbery’s murder and heightening statewide protections against antisemitism.
“Today I signed SB 36, also known as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or RFRA, ensuring that once again at the state level, that Georgians are protected, including Georgians of faith,” he said. “I wanted to let everybody know that despite signing that legislation, Georgia still remains a state that has no place for hate, and I can assure all Georgians of that today.”
However, Democrats pushed back against Kemp’s assertions, arguing that the bill would increase the potential for discrimination.
“Brian Kemp claims Georgia is no place for hate, but by signing SB 36, he just made our state a less welcoming place to live, work, and raise a family,” said Matthew Wilson, the interim chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia. “Brian Kemp signed this bill to shore up his culture warrior credentials for whatever office he’s running for next, and thousands of LGBTQ families like mine may never get to adopt a baby here in Georgia.”
Maya Homan | Georgia Recorder
Maya Homan is a politics reporter based in Atlanta. Most recently, she covered the 2024 presidential election and Georgia state politics for USA TODAY and its network papers. She is a graduate of Northeastern University, and before moving to Georgia, she spent two years at the Boston Globe covering breaking news, arts and features.
