Religious freedom bill threatens Ga. convention business

ATLANTA — Georgia's recently passed religious freedom bill has not been signed into law, but the prospects that it will be is forcing some organizations to reconsider holding conferences in Atlanta.

Last week, Georgia legislators sent a bill to the governor that critics say would sanction discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The bill would prevent the government from penalizing faith-based organizations, including private schools, that refuse to hire or serve someone because of religious beliefs. It also protects religious officials who decline to perform gay marriages.

The Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau said that a convention scheduled to take place in Atlanta in May will be moved to another state if Gov. Nathan Deal has not vetoed the bill by Friday.

Heather Kirksey, a spokeswoman for the convention and visitors bureau, would not identify the company or its size. She said the convention is currently scheduled in Atlanta in May. The Friday deadline allows the company enough time to relocate its convention, if need be, she said.

Deal has not said whether he would sign the measure.

At least 15 additional corporations, so far, also say they may move their convention business out of Atlanta, according to the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. If the businesses leave Atlanta, it would cost the city's economy billions of dollars in revenue, the visitors bureau said.

Those groups cite the possibility that Deal may sign the controversial bill.

State businesses had warned that millions of dollars were at stake if an early version of the bill became law. Members of a coalition of more than 300 companies formed this year included AT&T, Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, Home Depot and UPS. All are wary of the type of economic backlash Indiana experienced after 2015 passage of a broader religious-freedom bill.

Deal has said he is weeks away from deciding whether to sign the bill or veto it. He may not announce his decision until May, which is too late for the company that has to decide by Friday where to hold its May convention.

“They’re on a very short window, and they need to find another city in which to take their business,” said William Pate, president and CEO of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau.  "We know the governor has said he's not going to consider this (bill) until April, and so we fully expect that piece of business is going to be our first casualty. ... It’s about a $10 million to $15 million piece of business ... a very significant piece of business for the city.”

So, Pate said, the mere possibility that the bill might become law is already hurting the Georgia economy.

The 15 other companies that have said they may move their conventions out of Atlanta over the next five years account for up to 40% of the city's convention business, costing the city's economy up to $6 billion a year, Pate said.

But one of the bill's backers, state Sen. Greg Kirk, a Republican from Americus, insists companies will still want to meet in Georgia and locate in Georgia.

"I'll say this, Georgia's the No. 1 place to do business,” said Kirk on Tuesday. “That has not changed. This bill does not change that one bit. ... This is the best bill to protect everyone in Georgia. ... It preserves freedoms."

Companies that hold conventions in Atlanta, Pate said, perceive the bill is controversial, and that’s enough to scare them away from Georgia, regardless of the bill’s actual language.

“We’re often competing with a half a dozen other cities — big cities that people like to go to,” Pate said.  “And when you’re in that competitive environment, you don’t want to be in a situation where you’ve got something that could be a potential negative or distraction in that bid process.  And so that’s why something like this, when you hear these sports organizations say they respect diversity and they consider that when they’re looking for places to hold their championships, that’s why we don’t need a distraction like this when we’re out there bidding.”

Pate said he is asking companies that are considering scratching Atlanta off of their list of convention cities to wait for the governor to act, one way or the other.

“What we’ve cautioned everybody is, let’s give the governor time.  One thing we know about this governor is he’s very deliberate and he’s very factual, and he’s going to be looking for all the information he needs to make a good decision.  I think the governor is going to do his due diligence, he’s going to be very deliberate as he looks at this issue.  I do know that the governor has worked very hard to make Georgia the No. 1 state in the country in which to do business, and I just don’t believe he’s going to risk that."

Deal's office did not comment, but they emphasized that the governor will consider in April whether to sign it or veto it.

Contributing: The Associated Press. Follow Doug Richards and Jon Shirek on Twitter: @richardsdoug and @JonShirek