The two biggest business organizations in Georgia, the Metro-Atlanta Chamber and Georgia Chamber of Commerce, have joined together to press state lawmakers to adopt a hate-crimes law when the state’s legislative session resumes in June.

RELATED: Ahmaud Arbery Shooting Spurs Call For Hate Crime Law In Georgia

In a joint statement released Wednesday (May 27), the groups called for a “swift passage of hate crimes legislation that aligns our state’s law with our values” when legislators return after a months-long delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The passage of hate crimes legislation in 2019 by a bipartisan vote of the Georgia House of Representatives was an important step forward for our state,” the statement by Hala Moddelmog of the Metro Atlanta Chamber and Chris Clark of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce read. “Recent support from statewide leaders further demonstrates that momentum is growing for Georgia to join the 45 other states that already have these laws on the books.”

The proposed legislation enjoys bipartisan support from law enforcement officials as well as Democratic and Republicans leaders, who cite Ahmaud Arbery’s killing as a reason for greater urgency to get the measure passed. Some Democrats have called for the bill to be named after Arbery.

Sen. Jesse Stone, the Republican head of the Senate Judiciary Committee who blocked a vote on the measure last year, said many members are opposed to the bill because of a “philosophical concern” about requiring different punishments for similar crimes. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, he and other Republican senators feel the bill doesn’t given enough discretion to judges.

“The bill doesn’t do enough in some areas, and it goes too far in others,” Stone said. “We’ve got our plate full with bills that we do need to move on, so if a consensus comes together, it’s possible we can move on this. But if it doesn’t, it could lag behind.”