Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, who last week signed his state's controversial religious-freedom bill into law, on Tuesday asked lawmakers to make changes to the legislation that critics say permits discrimination against gay and lesbian Hoosiers, The Associated Press reported.

The Republican insisted that the law merely protects religious liberty but added that he had been meeting with lawmakers "around the clock" to address concerns that it would allow businesses to deny services to customers based on their sexual orientation, the AP added.

While neither he nor lawmakers intended "to create a license to discriminate," Pence noted that he could "appreciate that that's become the perception, not just here in Indiana but all across the country."

"We need to confront that," the former congressman, who has been named as a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2016, contended.

Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore David Long noted that he hoped to work out clarifying language on the legislation by the end of the day, and Pence said he wants a new bill on his desk by the end of the week, according to USA Today.

"After much reflection and in consultation with leadership in the General Assembly, I've come to the conclusion that it would be helpful to move legislation this week that makes it clear that this law does not give businesses a right to deny services to anyone," the governor detailed at a morning news conference attended by local and national media, the newspaper added.

The Democratic National Committee used the controversy surrounding the law to go after Pence and other potential Republican presidential hopefuls who have supported the legislation, the Hill noted; they include former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Scott Walker, Pence's Wisconsin counterpart.

"Nothing Gov. Pence said today changes the fact he advocated for and signed into law a bill that allows Indiana business to discriminate against the (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community under the guise of religious freedom," Holly Shulman, the committee's national press secretary, argued.

Pence, meanwhile, blamed the media and critics for much of the controversy, the Hill noted.

"We want to make it clear that Indiana is open for business," the governor insisted. "We want to make it clear that Hoosier hospitality is not a slogan; it's our way of life."