Alabama Legislature Packs Multiple False Religious Liberty Bills Into One Day
The House Committee on Health will hold a hearing on HB 158, the “Alabama Child Care Provider Inclusion Act,” which would allow organizations that provide adoption and child placement services the ability to “refrain from conduct that conflicts with their sincerely held religious beliefs.”
Virginia to Hear Bill that Would Allow Clerks to Refuse to Provide Marriage Licenses
Virginia’s SB 40 would allow clerks and deputy clerks in the state to refuse to issue marriage licenses “[i]f the clerk or deputy clerk has an objection to the issuance of such license on personal, ethical, moral, or religious grounds.” We all know that the couples most likely to be denied a license by clerks under this bill are same-sex couples.
The So-Called First Amendment Defense Act Reaches the States
Today, we continue our coverage of bills that we expect to dominate the state legislatures by focusing on bills already being discussed in four states—Virginia, Georgia, Washington, and Illinois—that are modeled after the federal First Amendment Defense Act (FADA) bill.
Members of Congress Sign Brief Arguing for Complete Exemption for Religious Non-profits from Contraception Mandate
More than 200 Members of Congress recently submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing in favor of the religious non-profit organizations in the soon-to-be-heard Zubik v. Burwell case.
Virginia’s Governor Vows to Veto False “Religious Freedom” Bills
As predicted, legislators in Virginia have been busy preparing legislation for the 2016 state legislative session. Although the General Assembly does not officially begin for a few weeks, state Senator Charles Carrico has already pre-filed two bills that relate to marriage and “religious freedom.” Rather than protect real religious freedom, these bills would allow individuals to discriminate against LGBT couples in the name of religion. Fortunately, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe has said that he will veto these bills if they were to pass.
Legislative Preview: States Are Preparing for More RFRA Battles
As the states gear up to reconvene their legislative sessions after the New Year, we can expect to see many states pursuing Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) legislation. We often focus on states without state-level RFRAs that attempt to pass bills to create a new law; for example, last year both Indiana and Arkansas passed new RFRA legislation, and the sponsor of Georgia’s bill to create a RFRA has said he will introduce legislation in 2016. However, state legislative activity is not limited merely to creating new RFRA laws. Even in states that currently have RFRA laws, we anticipate that there will be increasing attempts to expand these state RFRAs.
Protecting Our Neighbors Through Religious Accommodations
Last week, the U.S. Army granted Captain Simratpal Singh an exemption to accommodate his Sikh religious beliefs, which require him to keep a beard and wear a turban. He’s the first combat soldier to be granted such an exemption.
Captain Singh belongs to a very short list. Only six other service members have been granted a religious accommodation to wear a beard since 2009. One of these soldiers is Dr. Kamal Kalsi, also a Sikh, who was granted an exemption for his beard and turban. However, his accommodation was only temporary; he must renew his request for an accommodation each time he is transferred or deployed. This means that each time his assignment changes, he may be faced with the decision of whether to violate his religious beliefs or leave the service.
Conservative Groups in Indiana File Lawsuit over State RFRA
Remember when Indiana passed its version of a RFRA bill earlier this year? Its passage drew intense criticism from all over the country and boycotts from variety of sources, including corporations like Angie’s List and the NBA. The governors of some other cities and states even enacted bans on state-funded travel to Indiana. The backlash was focused on the fact that Indiana’s RFRA would allow businesses to discriminate against the LGBT community in the name of religion.