Senate Committee Passes Good Religious Freedom Measure

Religious Freedom,

On Monday the Senate Judiciary Committee passed a good bill to protect religious freedom in Arkansas.

H.B. 1615 by Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R — Elm Springs) and Sen. Gary Stubblefield (R — Branch) would ensure that religious organizations and religious individuals are not penalized for living out their deeply held religious convictions.

This good bill is especially important for people who have religious convictions about biological sex and marriage.

Over the years, wedding venues, bakeries, photography studios, florist shops, and others have been dragged into court simply because their owners wanted to operate according to their deeply held convictions. Nobody should be forced to choose between their religious convictions and their livelihood, and nobody should be punished for obeying their conscience.

H.B. 1615 will help prevent the government from burdening the free exercise of religion in Arkansas.

The bill passed in the Arkansas House of Representatives last week. It now goes to the entire Arkansas Senate for a final vote.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Arkansas House Passes Bill Protecting Religious Freedom

Religious Freedom, ,

On Thursday the Arkansas House of Representatives passed a good measure protecting religious liberty.

H.B. 1615 by Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R — Elm Springs) and Sen. Gary Stubblefield (R — Branch) would ensure that religious organizations and religious individuals are not penalized for living out their deeply held religious convictions.

Time and again, wedding venues, bakeries, photography studios, florist shops, and others have been targeted by public officials and dragged into court simply because their owners wanted to operate according to their deeply held convictions.

H.B. 1615 will help prevent the government from burdening the free exercise of religion in Arkansas.

As we have written before, Arkansas has passed some of the best religious freedom protections in the country over the years. In 2015, the state enacted its Religious Freedom Restoration Act. And lawmakers passed good bills in 2023 to strengthen that law.

H.B. 1615 helps further improve Arkansas’ laws protecting the free exercise of religion.

The bill now goes to the Arkansas Senate for consideration.

The Following Representatives Voted For H.B. 1615

  • Andrews
  • Beaty Jr.
  • Beck
  • Bentley
  • S. Berry
  • Breaux
  • A. Brown
  • K. Brown
  • M. Brown
  • N. Burkes
  • R. Burkes
  • Joey Carr
  • John Carr
  • Cavenaugh
  • Childress
  • C. Cooper
  • Cozart
  • Crawford
  • Dalby
  • Duffield
  • Duke
  • Furman
  • Gazaway
  • Gramlich
  • Holcomb
  • Hollowell
  • Jean
  • L. Johnson
  • Ladyman
  • Long
  • Lundstrum
  • Lynch
  • Maddox
  • J. Mayberry
  • McAlindon
  • McClure
  • McCollum
  • M. McElroy
  • McGrew
  • B. McKenzie
  • McNair
  • S. Meeks
  • J. Moore
  • K. Moore
  • Nazarenko
  • Painter
  • Pearce
  • Pilkington
  • Puryear
  • Ray
  • Richmond
  • Rose
  • Rye
  • Schulz
  • R. Scott Richardson
  • M. Shepherd
  • Steimel
  • Torres
  • Tosh
  • Underwood
  • Unger
  • Walker
  • Wing
  • Wooldridge
  • Wooten
  • Speaker Evans

The Following Representatives Voted Against H.B. 1615

  • F. Allen
  • Barnett
  • Clowney
  • A. Collins
  • Ennett
  • D. Garner
  • Gonzales
  • Hudson
  • Magie
  • McCullough
  • McGruder
  • J. Richardson
  • T. Shephard
  • Springer
  • Steele
  • Wardlaw
  • Gonzales Worthen

The Following Representatives Voted “Present”

  • Brooks
  • Eaton
  • Eaves
  • Eubanks
  • Hall
  • Hawk
  • Womack

The Following Representatives Did Not Vote

  • Achor
  • Barker
  • Barnes
  • K. Ferguson
  • Henley
  • Milligan
  • Perry
  • Vaught
  • Warren
  • D. Whitaker

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Committees Pass Measures to Strengthen Rights of Conscience, Religious Liberty in Arkansas

Religious Freedom, ,

This week committees in the Arkansas House of Representatives backed two good bills protecting rights of conscience and the free exercise of religion.

In recent years, Arkansas has passed some of the best rights of conscience and religious freedom protections in the country.

In 2015, the state enacted its Religious Freedom Restoration Act. And lawmakers passed good bills in 2023 to further strengthen that law.

In 2021, Arkansas passed Act 462 protecting healthcare workers’ rights of conscience.

Before that law passed, Arkansas’ conscience protections were narrowly focused on abortion and end of life decisions, and they protected very few people. Act 462 helped broaden those protections and apply them to all healthcare workers.

On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee backed H.B. 1615 to further strengthen Arkansas’ protections concerning the free exercise of religion. This good bill by Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R — Elm Springs) and Sen. Gary Stubblefield (R — Branch) would ensure that religious organizations and religious individuals are not penalized for living out their deeply held religious convictions.

Time and again, wedding venues, bakeries, photography studios, florist shops, and others have been targeted by public officials and dragged into court simply because their owners wanted to operate according to their deeply held convictions.

H.B. 1615 will help prevent the government from burdening the free exercise of religion in Arkansas.

On Wednesday, the Senate Public Health Committee passed S.B. 444 by Sen. Kim Hammer (R — Benton) and Rep. Lee Johnson (R — Greenwood). This good bill improves the healthcare workers’ rights of conscience law Arkansas passed in 2021.

Among other things, S.B. 444 adds whistleblower protections for healthcare workers, and it helps protect all medical professionals from having their rights of conscience violated.

If H.B. 1615 and S.B. 444 pass this year, Arkansas law will continue to provide some of the best protections for religious liberty and medical rights of conscience in the country.

That would be something to celebrate.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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