Pence wants fix for 'religious freedom' law by end of week

At the same time, the Republican said he still does not support adding sexual orientation as a protected class under Indiana's civil rights laws, and he rejected calls to repeal Senate Enrolled Act 101, also known as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

"This law does not give anyone a license to deny services to gay and lesbian couples," Pence said. "This law does not give anyone a license to discriminate."

Pence said he worked late into the night Monday with leaders of the Republican-controlled House and Senate crafting language they hope will fix what he described as "smears" against Indiana coming from national media and Internet commenters.

"The gross mischaracterizations about this bill early on, and some of the reckless reporting by some in the media about what this bill is all about, was deeply disappointing to me," Pence said.

"If I read some of that stuff about this bill, I would have had the same concerns that millions of Hoosiers have had and millions across the country."

But, Pence insisted, the new law -- which is similar to statutes in 19 other states, including Illinois, and the 1993 federal "religious freedom" law -- simply sets the standard Indiana courts must use in determining whether government action infringes on religious liberty.

"I don't believe for a minute that it was the intention of the General Assembly to create a license to discriminate or a right to deny services to gays, lesbians or anyone else in the state," Pence said. "And that certainly wasn't my intent."

Pence emphasized that he "abhors" discrimination of every kind, and mentioned civil rights leaders Martin Luther King, Jr. and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, R-Ga., are among his heroes.

"No one should be harassed or mistreated because of who they are, who they love or what they do," Pence said. "I believe that with all my heart."

Legislative leaders have yet to detail the specifics of any plan to clarify the law, or when the House and Senate might act on it.

No "religious freedom" fix was debated or voted on Tuesday, though Senate Bill 50 was set aside as a possible venue for any revisions.

The General Assembly next meets Thursday, but lawmakers then leave town until April 7 due to the NCAA Final Four men's basketball tournament taking over their Indianapolis hotel rooms. The Legislature adjourns for the year April 29.

Pence said he does not believe the fix requires adding sexual orientation to Indiana's civil rights laws -- which would bar discrimination against gays in hiring, housing and other matters, in addition to public accommodations -- but refused to say that he would veto such a proposal if it made it to his desk.

"I've never supported that, and I want to be clear -- it's not on my agenda," Pence said. "But I do believe moving legislation this week that would make it clear this law does not give businesses a right to deny services to anyone would be appropriate."

Democratic leaders proclaimed only repeal of the "religious freedom" statute and passage of a law explicitly protecting gays from all forms of discrimination can undo the worldwide damage to Indiana's reputation.

"If the state of Indiana does not believe in discrimination, then let's put it in law and make a statement," said Senate Democratic Leader Tim Lanane, D-Anderson.

House Democratic Leader Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City, suggested Pence perhaps doesn't yet realize how truly horrible the reaction to the law has been for the state, especially since the governor is blaming the media instead of accepting that most Hoosiers don't share his 1950s vision for Indiana.

Pelath added that leaders of major corporations, such as Apple which has condemned the law, don't take their cues from the nightly news.

"I don't like running into my friends from Michigan and my friends from Illinois and the first thing out of their mouths is, "What are you doing in Indiana?'" Pelath said. "We have a national and international problem that requires a bold response in reaction to a major mistake."

There is precedent for the Democrats' proposal. Illinois revised its 1998 "religious freedom" law in 2013 to add civil rights protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender residents.

House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, said that is among many possibilities under consideration.

"We have more language than we know what to do with," Bosma said. "The question is which one gets the job done correctly and is acceptable to enough parties to pass it."