Indiana lawmakers announced on Thursday morning that they have reached an agreement to address concerns that the religious freedom bill would permit discrimination against gays and lesbians.
During a press conference, Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma (R) and Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore David Long (R) said that they would introduce the changes at 9:30 a.m.
Bosma said that the changes make a “strong statement to assure that every Hoosier’s rights are protected, and won’t be infringed upon” by the new law.
Long blamed the backlash against the law on the perception of the legislation.
“Most importantly, the change in this will hopefully put an end to this greatest misperception of all, and that is that the people of Indiana discriminate, because I can tell you honestly, nothing could be further from the truth,” he said.
According to a report from the Indianapolis Star, the bill will add protections for LGBT individuals by making it clear that businesses cannot use the religious freedom law to defend discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
