U.S. House Approves Religious Exemption Amendment to Health Care Law

Written by Don Byrd
The U.S. House yesterday sent a measure to the Senate that amends the religious exemption from the Affordable Care Act’s individual coverage mandate. As currently written, the ACA exempts an individual that is a “member of a recognized religious sect… and an adherent of established tenets… by reason of which he is conscientiously opposed to acceptance of the benefits of any public or private insurance.” This allows members of faiths that object to medical treatment on religious grounds avoid having to purchase insurance.

The Hill’s Floor Action blog explains how the House amendment would broaden that exemption…

Judge Upholds Agency Limits on Arapaho Accommodation

Written by Don Byrd
A federal judge yesterday ruled that the Northern Arapaho Tribe in Wyoming may not kill eagles on the reservation they share with the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, despite an exemption granted by the US Fish and Wildlife Agency.