Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, rumored to be mulling a 2016 GOP presidential bid, says he will support a controversial religious freedom bill filed by a state legislator last week.
The proposal by Republican Rep. Mike Johnson would ban the state from denying licenses, certifications, employment, contracts, benefits or tax deductions because of actions a person takes “in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction” about marriage.
Appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Jindal had stopped short of backing the bill, though says he is generally in favor of religious protections.
But on Tuesday, Jindal’s spokeswoamn Shannon Bates Dirmann said the governor supports the bill, reports The Times-Picayune.
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“Yes, we support the bill. This is a common sense bill that provides necessary protections for individuals to prevent adverse treatment from the state based on religious beliefs regarding marriage,” said Dirmann, in a written statement.
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Equality Louisiana, an LGBT rights organization, said Johnson’s proposal would allow individuals and businesses to discriminate against gays, lesbians and transgender people.
In an interview Monday, Johnson indicated he might be altering the legislation, because some of parts of the bill are causing confusion.
