Connecticut's Democratic governor says he will ban state-funded travel to Indiana over a controversial religious freedom law. 'I found it disturbing, disgraceful and outright discriminatory,' the state's chief executive, Dannel Malloy, said during a news conference on an unrelated issue. 'It hearkens back to a time when states were allowed to pass laws that treated their citizens differently. It's our shared past where discrimination was codified into our laws.' Connecticut will become the first state to bar travel to Indiana since its governor signed the religious freedom law last Thursday. Seattle, Washington, and San Francisco, California, have sent out similar orders, however. The bill, signed into law by Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, has the effect of giving individuals legal cover to refuse a customer's business if it would violate a religious belief to fulfill the request. Civil rights groups are characterizing the law as discriminatory, particularly against LGBT persons, and Republican lawmakers in the state today said they'd be open to clarifying the bill's intent through legislative changes. Demonstrators gather at the Indiana State Capitol on Saturday to protest a controversial religious freedom bill recently signed by Governor Mike Pence. More than 2,000 people attended the Indianapolis rally. Critics say it would promote discrimination against individuals based on sexual orientation . DUELING GOVERNORS: Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy, left, a Democrat, said today that he would bar state-funded travel to Indiana in light of the new law, signed by into existence last Thursday by that state's chief executive, Mike Pence, a Republican . The details of Connecticut's retaliatory measure are not yet known. Malloy said Monday morning on Twitter that because of the law, 'later today I will sign an executive order regarding state-funded travel.' 'When new laws turn back the clock on progress, we can’t sit idly by. We are sending a message that discrimination won’t be tolerated,' he said in a follow up tweet. At a press conference later that day, Malloy said his state 'led the way to end discrimination and we should continue to be a leader in speaking out against discrimination across the entirety of the nation.' 'No state should use religious grounds to be the basis for discrimination in our country,' Malloy said, according to NBC Connecticut. 'Let me point out that it is a sad fact that in our history religion was used as a basis to support treating black and white individuals differently as well, and I won't allow any of our citizens in Connecticut to face discrimination in other states, at least without a fight.' More than 2,000 demonstrators showed up outside the Indiana State Capitol on Saturday to protest the new measure passed by the Republican-controlled General Assembly that Indiana says is meant to give its residents a platform to bring religious freedom suits against the government. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act states that 'a governmental entity may not substantially burden a person's exercise of religion, even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability' unless the government has a 'compelling' interest to do so and interference is the 'least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest.' The Indiana law now under a microscope says that 'a governmental entity may not substantially burden a person's exercise of religion.' The only exception to that rule is if the government can show it has a 'compelling' interest to interfere and it did so through 'the least restrictive means.' A party that prevails over the government in court can now ask for 'compensatory damages' and may be awarded 'all or part of the costs of litigation, including reasonable attorney's fees.' Civil rights activists argue that the law is overly broad because it can be interpreted to apply not only to individuals acting in their personal capacity, but also to businesses. Furthermore, it goes beyond protecting Indiana residents' interests from intrusion by the state - it gives them legal cover from threats to their religious freedom from private entities, as well. Critics of the legislation claim it legally allows businesses to refuse the business of gay couples. A commonly cited example is that of a bakery that declines to take on the order for a wedding cake of a same-sex couple, citing religious grounds. Gay rights activists say such discriminatory behavior would not be allowed under Indiana law as a result of the religious freedom bill. A similar bill could soon become law in Arkansas. That state's bill, having already received the go ahead from the House, passed the Senate on Friday and now heads to recently elected Governor Asa Hutchinson's desk. Arkansas's legislation stats that 'governments should not substantially burden the free exercise of religion without compelling justification.' Hutchinson, a Republican, has already signaled his support for the law. WalMart, which is based out of Arkansas, and Apple CEO Tim Cook sided against the GOP-backed measure over the weekend. 'We feel this legislation is counter to this core basic belief of respect for the individual and sends the wrong message about Arkansas, as well as the diverse environment which exists in the state,' a spokesman for Walmart said in a statement provided to Reuters. Cook publicly criticized both state's laws on Twitter, saying, 'Apple is open for everyone. We are deeply disappointed in Indiana's new law and calling on Arkansas Gov. to veto the similar HB1228.' Another business, Angie's List, said it would put on hold indefinitely construction on the expansion of its Indianapolis headquarters, a $40 million project, until the further notice. 'Angie's List is open to all and discriminates against none and we are hugely disappointed in what this bill represents,' the company's chief executive, Bill Oesterle, said in a statement. If Angie's List, an online database of customer reviews, relocates, Indianapolis' economy will lose out on a promised 1,000 new jobs throughout the next five years. The NCAA, also headquartered in Indianapolis, immediately condemned the law on Thursday, saying it was 'especially concerned about how this legislation could affect our student-athletes and employees.' The final two rounds of the organization's hotly-anticipated annual basketball competition will be held in the city this weekend. The law will not go into effect until July, though. Democratic Indiana State Representative Ed Delaney speaks to demonstrators protesting the newly signed Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Republican lawmakers in the state today said they'd be open to clarifying the bill's intent through legislative changes to make clear its not meant to be discriminatory . The swift backlash against the law had leaders of Indiana's legislature reeling on Monday. At a news conference Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma and state Senate President Pro Tem David Long said they would be willing to change the wording of the law to make more clear that the state does not endorse discrimination. 'To the extent that we need to clarify that, by adding something to the law to make that clear that's not the intent, we are more than willing to do it, and we plan to do that,' Long told reporters, per a report from Reuters. 'Religious freedom and the right to be free from discrimination can coexist together,' he said. Pence expressed shock during an interview with the Indianapolis Star on Saturday at the national outrage that that's followed the signing of the law. 'I just can't account for the hostility that's been directed at our state,' he told the publication. 'I've been taken aback by the mischaracterizations from outside the state of Indiana about what is in this bill.' By Sunday the rumored presidential candidate had gone into full damage control mode, appearing on ABC News' Sunday morning news program this week. But he stood his ground and would not call the law a mistake during the interview, though, and declined to say whether it could be used to legally discriminate on the basis of orientation, as gay rights activists are charging, as homosexuals are not currently a protected class under Indiana law. 'This is not about discrimination, this is about empowering people to confront government overreach,' he told host George Stephanopoulos. 'Look, the issue here is still is tolerance a two-way street or not,' he said when pressed. A window sign on a downtown Indianapolis florist taken last Wednesday shows it's objection to the Religious Freedom bill passed by the Indiana legislature . Pence argued that his state is being treated unfairly by the same people who claim to be defenders of equal treatment under the law. 'From people who preach tolerance every day, we’ve been under an avalanche of intolerance,' he said. 'I’m not going to take it lying down. Furthermore, Pence said Indiana's law is similar to federal legislation Bill Clinton signed as president in 1993 and a measure that Barack Obama voted for while serving in the Illinois state Senate. Indiana's law has 'the very same language' as the Illinois bill the Democratic president voted for, Pence contended. Obama's spokesman rejected Pence's comparison in an interview on the same network minutes later. 'If you have to go back two decades to try to justify something you are doing today, it may raise some questions about the wisdom of what you’re doing,' White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in response. 'It should be easy for leaders in this country to stand up and say that it is wrong to discriminate against people just because of who they love.' President Obama notoriously 'evolved' on the subject of gay marriage during his first term and now supports it after having previously been against it.
Connecticut will be the first state to bar travel to Indiana since its governor signed the controversial religious freedom law last Thursday . State joins Seattle, Washington, and San Francisco, California, in the ban . 'It is a sad fact that in our history religion was used as a basis to support treating black and white individuals differently' too, Connecticut's gov said . Civil rights groups say the law is discriminatory against LGBT persons . Republican lawmakers in the state today said they'd be open to clarifying the bill's intent through legislative changes . Indiana's GOP governor is not backing down: 'From people who preach tolerance every day, we’ve been under an avalanche of intolerance,' he said .