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Indiana and Arkansas revised on Thursday new religious freedom acts that had drawn criticism from rights groups and U.S. companies that assailed them as discriminatory against gays.
Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, signed his state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law minutes after it passed in the statehouse.
Indiana Governor Mike Pence, also a Republican, signed a revised religious freedom law that amended one he signed last week. The original measure catapulted the state into a firestorm because it lacked specific provisions to prevent denial of services and other discrimination against gays.
The state drew the ire of companies like Apple Inc, boycotts of official travel by the states of New York and Connecticut, and protests by civil liberties groups and individuals from around the country.
Some local politicians and the state's largest newspaper, the Indianapolis Star, called for an immediate fix to the bill, fearing it would pummel the state's economy and create the perception that Indiana was intolerant of certain groups.
"In the midst of this furious debate, I have prayed earnestly for wisdom and compassion, and I have felt the prayers of people across this state and across this nation," Pence said in a statement.
Pence did not mention gender identity or sexual orientation in the statement.
As pressure built against Indiana, legislators in Arkansas prepared to vote on that state's RFRA, and Hutchinson came under pressure from Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the world's largest retailer, concerned the bill would send the wrong message about the state. Wal-Mart is headquartered in Arkansas.
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