Written by Don Byrd
State legislatures, back in session after the first of the year, are once again considering several bills related to religious freedom.
In Georgia, a House Judiciary Subcommittee approved a “Pastor Protection Act,” which clarifies (does this need clarification?) that clergy are not required to perform marriage ceremonies that violate their religious beliefs. The bill sponsor describes the measure as a way to “reassure” ministers, but the First Amendment protects pastors in this way already. That states, through their elected officials, are required to recognize same-sex marriages does not in any way require ministers to officiate a ceremony.
The bill now heads to the entire Judiciary Committee.
In West Virginia, legislators continue to debate a state RFRA bill. Like other Religious Freedom Restoration Act laws, the West Virginia RFRA would prohibit the state from substantially burdening a person’s religious exercise without a compelling state interest. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that the debate over the law – which would establish a standard for deciding conflict between religious free exercise and state regulations – has turned into a debate about LGBT rights.
Meanwhile, in Kentucky, the state senate passed a bill allowing students to “voluntarily express religious viewpoints in class assignments.” The measure seems to be a response to an incident last year in which religious references were stripped from a student performance of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” in a Kentucky high school. The bill heads next to the state house.
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