Religious freedom bill

In the United States, a religious freedom bill is a bill that, according to its proponents, allows those with religious objections to same-sex marriage to act in accordance with their beliefs without having to worry about being punished by the government for doing so.[1] In contrast, opponents of such bills say that they allow people and businesses to discriminate against LGBT individuals.[2]

By state

Arkansas

In April 2015, the governor of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson, signed a religious freedom bill into law. The version of the bill he signed was more narrow in scope than the original version, which would have required state and local governments to demonstrate a compelling governmental interest to be able to infringe on someone's religious beliefs.[1]

Georgia

In March 2016, the Georgia State Senate and the Georgia House of Representatives passed a religious freedom bill.[3] On March 28, Georgia's governor, Nathan Deal, vetoed the bill after multiple Hollywood figures, as well as the Walt Disney Company threatened to pull future productions from the state if the bill became law.[4] Many other companies had also been opposed to the bill, including the National Football League, Salesforce, the Coca-Cola Company, and Unilever.[5][6]

Indiana

In March 2015, Mike Pence, the governor of Indiana, signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law, which allowed business owners who objected to same-sex couples on religious grounds to opt out of providing them services.[7]

Mississippi

In April 2016, Phil Bryant, the governor of Mississippi, signed into law a bill that protects people who refuse to serve others on the basis of a religious objection to same-sex marriage, transgender people, or extramarital sex from government punishment.[8]

Missouri

On March 9, 2016, the Missouri State Senate passed a religious freedom bill. Senate Democrats tried to stop the bill with a 39-hour filibuster, but Republicans responded by forcing a vote using a rarely used procedural maneuver, which resulted in the bill passing.[9] In April, it was defeated 6-6 in a Missouri House of Representatives committee vote, with three Republicans joining three Democrats in voting against the bill.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 Trager, Kevin (2 April 2015). "Arkansas governor signs new 'religious freedom' bill". USA Today. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  2. ↑ Lopez, German (25 March 2016). "The controversy over Georgia's Indiana-style religious freedom bill, explained". Vox. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  3. ↑ Botehlo, Greg (17 March 2016). "Ga. governor cites Jesus in signaling 'religious freedom' bill opposition". CNN. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  4. ↑ Somashekhar, Sandhya (28 March 2016). "Georgia governor vetoes religious freedom bill criticized as anti-gay". Washington Post. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  5. ↑ "Governor of Georgia vetoes religious freedom bill". BBC News. 28 March 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  6. ↑ Wattles, Jackie (25 March 2016). "Georgia's 'anti-LGBT' bill: These companies are speaking out the loudest". CNN. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  7. ↑ Neuman, Scott (26 March 2015). "Indiana's Governor Signs 'Religious Freedom' Bill". NPR. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  8. ↑ Domonoske, Camila (5 April 2016). "Mississippi Governor Signs 'Religious Freedom' Bill Into Law". NPR. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  9. ↑ Botehlo, Greg (9 March 2016). "Missouri 'religious freedom bill' passes as 39-hour filibuster ends". CNN. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  10. ↑ Farrington, Dara (27 April 2016). "Missouri 'Religious Freedom' Bill Defeated In House Committee Vote". NPR. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
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