Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the “Save Chick-fil-A” bill into law in a ceremony dotted with the fast food giant’s products.
The law bars the government from taking “adverse actions” against individuals or businesses over of their religious or moral beliefs.
“Today I signed the @ChickfilA law in Texas. And, had a great lunch. No business should be discriminated against simply because its owners donate to a church, the Salvation Army, or other religious organization. Texas protects religious liberty,” Abbott, a 61-year-old Republican tweeted this week along with footage from the ceremony.
Today I signed the @ChickfilA law in Texas.
And, had a great lunch.
No business should be discriminated against simply because its owners donate to a church, the Salvation Army, or other religious organization.
Texas protects religious liberty. pic.twitter.com/1QwSTuoWu0
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) July 19, 2019
The legislation, officially known as Senate Bill 1978, got its moniker “Save Chick-fil-A” after the San Antonio City Council voted to bar Chick-fil-A from opening a store at the San Antonio International Airport citing the company’s “legacy of anti-LGBT behavior.”
The vote came after Think Progress shared tax documents showing that the Chick-fil-A Foundation donated more than $1.8 million to groups like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, whose statement of faith says that “marriage is exclusively the union of one man and one woman.”
Last month, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a petition seeking documents from the San Antonio City Council to see whether unlawful or discriminatory motives were at play in their decision to exclude Chick-fil-A from the airport.
