Georgia's State FADA Bill Just Got A Whole Lot Worse
With Georgia's FADA and Pastor Protection Act bills now rolled into one super bill, things are looking grim in the Peach State. Robbie Medwed's opinion piece below illustrates the dangers this FADA bill poses to the people of Georgia.
Missouri's New Bill Would Gut State Human Rights Act
Missouri's SB 916 will be heard in front of a Senate committee today, and while the bill isn't technically about LGBT people or women, it will certainly have deleterious effects on both communities.
Spotlight On: Four Anti-LGBT Bills In Oklahoma
Last session, the state of Texas had the distinction of being the state with the most anti-LGBT bills with over 20 pieces of legislation. Fortunately, each one of those bills was defeated. This session, that distinction of (dis)honor belongs to Oklahoma. Their session began this week, and they already have at least 26 anti-LGBT bills, including bills that include religious exemptions that could be used to discriminate. Here is a look at just four of those bills that we are closely tracking.
Republicans, Business Leaders Uneasy About Georgia's "Religious Freedom" Bills
Some Georgia Republicans are finding themselves extremely uneasy about the state's "religious freedom" bills.
Spotlight On: Indiana's SB 344, A Flawed Non-Discrimination Bill
Today, the Indiana Senate is expected to take up SB 344, a flawed non-discrimination bill. There are so many reasons to oppose this bill, including that it fails to offer any protections for transgender Hoosiers. But in this post, we’d like to look at the vast and broad religious exemptions in the bill. Although SB 344 may offer some (insufficient) non-discrimination protections, it also would provide a religious trump card to nullify those protections. The bill also contains religious exemptions that would undermine rights and protections guaranteed by other state and local laws and policies.
Spotlight On: Georgia's Discriminatory Religious Exemption Bills
Having trouble keeping up on what is happening in the Georgia General Assembly? Don’t worry, so many bad bills that claim to protect religious freedom have been introduced that it is hard to follow. But we are here to help. Here is your Georgia cheat sheet: It explains seven of the bills out there that claim to protect religious freedom, but really don’t.
West Virginia RFRA Hearing Today At 9:30 AM
This morning, starting at 9:30 am, the West Virginia House will hold a public hearing on House Bill 4012, the “West Virginia Religious Freedom Restoration Act.” West Virginians will be gathering in the House chamber to voice their opinions on this bill. We have some opinions about this bill, too, and it should come as no surprise by now, that we strongly oppose this bill.
Spotlight On: Headline-Making RFRA Bills Nationwide
Missouri Judge Dismisses Claim That State's Abortion Waiting Period Violates Religious Beliefs
U.S. Supreme Court Should Protect Student And Staff Access To Contraceptives At Notre Dame, Says Americans United
Americans United Files Brief In SCOTUS Contraception Accommodation Case
Americans United filed a brief in the U.S. Supreme Court today stating that the court should protect student and staff access to contraception at the University of Notre Dame. AU represents a student who has medical coverage through the Catholic university and stands to lose access to birth control should the school receive further exemptions to the ACA contraception mandate.
Spotlight On: Tennessee's Discriminatory Healthcare Bills
Today, we continue our coverage of bills that we expect to dominate the state legislatures by focusing on two related sets of bills in Tennessee. HB 566/SB 397 and HB 1840/SB 1556 would both allow individuals to withhold counseling services—an important, and sometimes lifesaving, healthcare service—from certain patients. And we know that those who would be most likely to be refused services are LGBT patients.
Religious Right Uses First Amendment As A Weapon In The Courts
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.
Spotlight On: Georgia and SB 129
Save The Day: Celebrating Real Religious Freedom
Saturday is Religious Freedom Day. While it’s not one of our most well-known or popular holidays, Religious Freedom Day shouldn’t be overlooked. Our country is in the middle of a campaign, spearheaded by far-right religious groups and their political allies, to redefine religious freedom. We cannot allow this to happen.
Spotlight On: Florida's HB 401
Today, we examine Florida’s HB 401. HB 401 would add a new section to Florida’s existing Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).
Worried About Legislation in Your State? Stay Informed Using PTN’s New State Bill Tracker
As state legislatures gather across the country to start their 2016 legislative sessions, Protect Thy Neighbor is gearing up to monitor and fight legislation that would allow individuals, businesses, and government employees to harm others in the name of religion. Now, you can follow along too by using PTN’s new legislative tracking page. Keep up with the latest news, bill information, and ways to take action in the states and on the federal level. We will update the status of the bills in our state tracker every Tuesday and Friday, and will also continue to provide you with latest legislative news as it occurs.
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.