ATLANTA — A Republican state lawmaker defied his party. Then, he lost his job.

When Senate Bill 68 came up for a vote in the Georgia House of Representatives last week, Vance Smith voted no.

In an address to the legislature earlier this year, Kemp made it clear that tort reform was his top priority in this year’s legislative session. Senate Bill 68 was a key component of that effort.

The bill still passed by a razor-thin margin with Smith as one of just a few GOP lawmakers to oppose it.

In an interview for The Georgia Vote, Smith says now paying the price for that vote.

According to Smith, the board that leads the Harris County Chamber of Commerce fired him from his job as President and CEO of the Chamber a day after he voted against the tort reform legislation.

“They said I wasn’t taking the right direction for the Chamber when I voted like I did,” said Smith.

Theresa Garcia Robertson, the chair of the Chamber’s board, declined to comment on the reasons for Smith’s dismissal. “What we can tell you is that we hold Vance in high regard personally and appreciate his service to our community and his district,” she said in a written statement on behalf of the board.

Smith said he was “shocked” by his termination.

“You can break my arm,” he said. “But when you hurt your feelings, that’s tough.”

Cody Hall, a close aide to Brian Kemp’s political operation, reportedly told the AJC earlier this year that the Governor was considering backing primary challenges against Republicans who didn’t support his tort reform effort.

But in a statement to the 11Alive Political Team, Hall said the governor had nothing to do with Smith’s dismissal from his job with the Chamber.

“Neither the governor or anyone acting on his behalf had any role whatsoever in the chamber’s decision,” said Kemp’s senior advisor.

Smith said he supported elements of the tort reform proposal but had unresolved questions about claims that the bill would positively impact the cost and effectiveness of insurance in the state, leading to his no vote.

“I just felt like we didn’t perfect the bill,” he said.

But despite the consequences of his vote, the long-serving lawmaker said he’d do it all again.

“You can’t worry about whether you’re going to lose some money in the budget or lose the chairmanship or whatever,” said Smith. “You vote because of the legislation. I feel comfortable [with] the way I voted. I consider myself voting right on that bill, and I hope we come back and improve that bill.”