INDIANAPOLIS (WOWO): Despite the fallout and controversy, a local lawmaker says RFRA was a good thing for Indiana.

Senate President Pro Tem David Long (R-Fort Wayne) says it created more dialogue on important LGBT issues. He adds it has made his fellow lawmakers more sensative. However, he maintains the original measure did not discriminate, nor was it ever the intent.

He added the the reworked bill went a long way to reverse long-term, negative perceptions about the state.

Long went on to say more can be done to safeguard religious rights and balancing them with individual rights. He says religious liberty is equally important as free speech and freedom of the press.