ATLANTA (AP) – Two dozen black lawmakers angrily stalked out of the Georgia House on Friday amid claims a decision by white Republican leaders to delay passage of a resolution honoring President Barack Obama had racist overtones.

House Speaker Glenn Richardson said the proposal to make Obama an honorary member of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus required some changes to its language and sent it to a committee.

State Rep. Austin Scott said he and other Republicans objected to wording that would have put the full chamber on record backing the resolution and its declaration of Obama as a man with an “unimpeachable reputation for integrity.”

Some noted it was a rare move in the Georgia Capitol, where lawmakers routinely adopt all manner of resolutions without debate and often through a show of hands, from measures honoring a constituent’s wedding anniversary to others offering condolences upon a death.

Black lawmakers pointed out that they’ve gone along in the past with other largely symbolic resolutions out of respect for their colleagues, including a 2005 measure commending then-President George W. Bush’s much-criticized response to Hurricane Katrina.