Jan Brewer, Governor of Arizona, vetoed what was known as the "License to Discriminate" bill, or SB 1062, after receiving pressure from more than 80 companies and advocates across the country. E-mails released by her office now reveal that Governor Brewer's legal counsel and policy director worked with the Center for Arizona Policy, the group behind the bill, "to make it more palatable to the Governor," according to the Associated Press via Arizona's KTAR-FM.
The article continues:
Center for Arizona Policy president Cathi Herrod blamed the bill's fate on opponents who misrepresented what it does.
"I believe the veto was politics at its worst,' Herrod said Monday, "The veto was of a bill that did not exist and the 1062 opponents were able to make the bill about something it was not."
She acknowledged she worked with Brewer's staff on the bill.
"The governor's officer raised several questions about the language, we had thorough discussions about the language and changes were made to the language based on those discussions," she said.
The bill would have shielded businesses whose owners cite sincerely held religious beliefs from being sued for denying service to gays. It would have allowed any business, church or person to cite the law as a defense in any action brought by the government or individual claiming discrimination.
While SB 1062 has been defeated, similar bills are still on the table in multiple states.