Arkansas Gov Won't Sign RFRA Bill

Hutchinson kicks religious objection bill back to legislature for changes
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 1, 2015 11:17 AM CDT
Arkansas Gov Won't Sign RFRA Bill
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson is interviewed at the Arkansas state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark., Feb. 13, 2015.   (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)

The question this morning was whether Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson would sign the religious objection bill passed yesterday by his state's legislature, and the answer is no. The first-term Republican is kicking the bill back to legislature for changes, noting that the bill that ultimately landed on his desk does not mirror federal law; he'd earlier said he'd sign such a bill. Noting that his own son had signed a petition urging him to veto, Hutchinson said the issue "has become divisive because our nation remains split over how to balance the diversity of our culture with the traditions and firmly held religious convictions," the Washington Post reports. One potential wrinkle, as per the AP: Arkansas' Republican-controlled legislature needs only a simple majority to override a governor's veto. (More Asa Hutchinson stories.)

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