French carmaker moving North America HQ to Atlanta

ATLANTA — Metro Atlanta will now be home to the North American headquarters of a third international automaker.

Gov. Nathan Deal made the announcement Tuesday afternoon but now worries the debate over a religious liberty bill could make attracting other businesses difficult.

While few think a bill will pass this session, it still enjoys some support. Several GOP gubernatorial candidates signed a pledge supporting it.

But the current governor thinks a bill will only hurt Georgia jobs.

Channel 2 political reporter Richard Elliot was on hand as Deal announced that Groupe PSA, France's largest automaker, is moving to Atlanta.

TRENDING STORIES:

• Woman attacked in Target parking garage in Buckhead
• 2 students dead, several wounded in shooting at Kentucky high school
• Drugs, guns found after deadly crash shut down I-20 for hours, police say

The governor said the deal was a long-kept secret since he visited the company last year.

Groupe PSA makes three international car makers locating their North American headquarters in metro Atlanta since Deal took office seven years ago -- including Porsche and Mercedes-Benz.

Deal campaigned on a promise to bring jobs and business back to Georgia after the great recession.

But some lawmakers continue to push what’s called Religious Liberty Bills, legislation designed to protect people and businesses that refuse to work with those with whom they disagree on religious grounds.

Critics say such legislation legalizes discrimination.

But Deal, who vetoed a religious liberty bill two years ago, maintains the constitution already protects religious freedoms, so the state, he said, doesn't need it.

“You have to have some factual justification for doing something that obviously has potentially harmful effects on the economy of our state,” Deal told Elliot.

Other states passing religious liberty bills, such as Indiana and North Carolina, saw major corporations refuse to locate or expand there.

Deal worries talk about it in Georgia could scare away big companies too, and the jobs they bring with them.

“I don’t see any reason at this point in time for us to create those kinds of potential impediments to job opportunities for our state,” Deal said.

Just last week, religious liberty supporters said they don’t believe companies will go elsewhere if Georgia passed such a bill.

Cox Media Group