text: Arkansas Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Wednesday that he won't sign a religious freedom bill that his state's legislature sent to him on Tuesday, citing influence from his politically liberal son. He is sending it back to lawmakers, he told reporters, for amendments that will bring it more in line with the 1993 federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act – which critics say better protected the rights of gays and lesbians. Hutchinson said during his press conference that his son had in part convinced him not to sign the bill into law. 'My son Seth, signed the petition asking me, Dad, the governor, to veto this bill,' Hutchinson said. 'And he gave me permission to make that reference, and it shows that ... there's a generational difference of opinion on these issues.' Seth told Daily Mail Online that 'I love and respect my father very much, but sometimes we have political disagreements, just as many families do.' 'I had communicated with him my opposition to the bill, along with thousands of other Arkansans and concerned citizens around the country,' he added. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson is a former member of the US Congress, where he was a reliable conservative vote on social issues – but he said Wednesday that he won't sign a new religious freedom bill into law . LIKE FATHER, LIKE – WHOA! The Republican governor's son Seth, pictured in a Barack Obama shirt, signed a petition asking his dad to veto the religious freedom law . About 200 demonstrators flooded the steps of the Arkansas state Capitol in Little Rock on Tuesday after the  bill was passed by both houses of the state legislature . 'I’m proud to have made a small contribution to the overall effort to stop discrimination against the LGBT community in Arkansas, the state that I love (Go hogs!),' the younger Hutchinson said. Seth works as a labor organizing coordinator for the Austin, Texas flagship office of the Texas State Employees Union. 'Most importantly,' he told Daily Mail Online, 'I hope that the groundswell of grassroots opposition to HB 1228 and other similar discriminatory bills around the country will energize more Americans and help create a long-lasting drive for change in this country, on many issues.' His father told reporters hours earlier that the bill on his desk carved out too much new territory. 'The bill that is on my desk at the present time does not mirror the federal law,' Hutchinson said. 'It doesn't mirror it in a couple of ways, particularly allowing the First Amendment to be asserted in the private litigation between parties or reliance on the state law in those claims.' 'Therefore I asked that changes be made in the legislation and I've asked that the leaders in the General Assembly to recall the bill so that it can be amended.' The White House jumped into the fray on Wednesday, with spokesman Josh Earnest telling reporters that the Arkansas legislation could 'be used to justify discriminating against individuals because of who they love.' 'And that is certainly not consistent with the values that the vast majority of Americans subscribe to,' Earnest said. 'And I think, you know, Governor Hutchinson is obviously responding to that outcry.' Hutchinson didn't cite any pressure other than his son's, however. 'My responsibility is to speak out on my own convictions,' Gov. Hutchinson said at the state Capitol, 'and to do what I can as governor to make sure that this bill reflects the people of Arkansas, protects those of religious conscience – but also minimizes the chance of discrimination in the workplace and in the public environment.' The unusual move – sending the legislation back without actually vetoing it – means Hutchinson doesn't risk a veto-override in the state legislature. Lawmakers could refuse to amend the bill and force his hand, or they could do what he asks. Josh Earnest . White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest reacted during his daily press briefing on Wednesday: . 'The piece of legislation that was passed by the Arkansas legislature tracked closely with the legislation that was passed by the Indiana legislature last week. 'The kind of outcry that we saw in response to the Indiana legislation being signed into law by Governor Pence is similar to the outcry that we saw in Arkansas last night after the legislature passed that legislation. 'We saw, you know, some pretty strong criticism including from some pretty prominent business leaders in the state of Arkansas expressing some concern about the impact of that law, and that that law could justifiably – or could be used to justify discriminating against individuals because of who they love. 'And that is certainly not consistent with the values that the vast majority of Americans subscribe to. And I think, you know, Governor Hutchinson is obviously responding to that outcry. 'But you know, obviously the next step will be for the leaders in Arkansas to determine. I think we've made pretty clear what our views are on that.' The governor has one other option: He said he's considering issuing an executive order to clarify that 'Arkansas wants to be a place of tolerance.' His concern that the bill went further than the 1993 law signed by then-President Bill Clinton was akin to complaints that critics raised this week in Indiana, where a similar law took effect on Monday. One key detail in Indiana's version – and Arkansas' – expands the idea of giving conscientious Christians a way to defend themselves if they're sued when their businesses refuse to provide services for gay weddings. They protect against civil suits filed by private individuals, not just those pursued by the government. But few civil-rights suits are filed and funded by allegedly harmed people. State- and federal-level commissions and law-enforcement agencies typically carry them forward. And Indiana University law professor Deborah Widiss told the Associated Press on Wednesday that Religious Freedom Restoration Act laws have not 'been a sort of blank check to discriminate.' At issue is whether a Christian-owned business could legally deny services to gays if doing so would conflict with their religious values. Typically, the issue is raised when same-sex couples seek vendors for their weddings. 'Let me make it clear,' Hutchinson said Wednesday: 'This law under consideration does not extend discrimination. That's important.' 'What is important from an Arkansas standpoint is one, we get the right balance,' he said. 'And secondly, we make sure that we communicate we're not going to be a state that fails to recognize the diversity of our workplace, our economy and our future.' At the same time he seemed to defend the idea of having a law that protected the religious-express rights of business owners. 'This bill simply defines the standard to determine the right balance' between those rights and those of gay men and women, he said. Hutchinson had initially supported the bill and on Tuesday his office said he planned to sign it. 'This is a bill that in ordinary times would not be controversial, but these are not ordinary times,' he said Wednesday as Americans watched his quick 180-degree turn. Hutchinson spoke to reporters outside his office at the state Capitol in Little Rock on Wednesday, saying that he wants a religious freedom law changed so it better reflects a federal law that took effect in 1993 . DAD-WHISPERER: Seth Hutchinson seems to have had an outsize influence on his famous dad . As Arkansas braced for the possibility that it would become the new religious-freedom ground zero, Wal-Mart, the state's largest for-profit employer, had insisted that the new legislation was a bad idea. Those objections were unexpected in some corners because the massive big-box chain is seen as a rare bastion of Christian values in a crowded secular marketplace. The Walton family, the company founders who still own a large stake, are famous for using leadership models culled from Christian service traditions. Wal-Mart also is known for selling enough Christian-themed books to worry some religious bookstores. Yet Doug McMillon, the company's CEO, signed a statement saying that the state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act 'threatens to undermine the spirit of inclusion present throughout the state of Arkansas and does not reflect the values we proudly uphold.' 'Every day in our stores, we see firsthand the benefits diversity and inclusion have on our associates, customers and communities we serve,' McMillon said. Arkansas legislators defied widespread criticism in passing the bill on Tuesday. A similar measure that Indiana Republican Gov. Mike Pence signed into law a day earlier became an instant national flashpoint in the gay rights debate. It took Pence less than a day to capitulate to protesters, saying in a press conference that he would work with legislators to 'fix' the law's language. FLASHPOINT: Rallies like this one in Arkansas ould spread to the other 19 states where versions of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act are already on the books . Arkansas state Rep. Bob Ballinger (right) sponsored the bill and was all smiles when it passed, but now his brainchild is in limbo . 'WE WILL FIX THIS': Indiana Gov. Mike Pence told reporters on Tuesday that he wants legislation on his desk by the end of the week to clarify that his state's new religious freedom law does not allow discrimination . Wal-Mart isn't the only big player that would have complained if Hutchinson had signed the bill. NASCAR said in a statement Tuesday that it was 'disappointed' by Indiana's legislation, and would likely pile on in the Razorback State. The NCAA, which has had its headquarters in Indianapolis since 1999, says it is concerned about the law's effect on future Indiana events including this week's Final Four men's basketball tournament. The governors of New York, Vermont, Washington and Connecticut have announced bans on certain state-funded travel to Indiana. Mayors of Denver, Seattle and Washington, D.C. have followed suit for city-funded travel. Those restrictions could have quickly doubled in size to include Arkansas. Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said Tuesday that the Indiana law 'flies in the face of the kinds of values that people all across the country strongly support.' The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether the Arkansas bill would be equally offensive to the Obama administration.
target: 'My son Seth, signed the petition asking me, Dad, the governor, to veto this bill,' Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Wednesday .
  Seth told Daily Mail Online that 'I love and respect my father very much, but sometimes we have political disagreements'
  He's sending the 'Religious Freedom Restoration Act' back to the state legislature because it strays too far from the federal law that inspired it .
  Hutchinson doesn't risk a veto-override from lawmakers since he hasn't technically vetoed the bill .
  'This is a bill that in ordinary times would not be controversial, but these are not ordinary times,' he said .