Updated: Arkansas House of Representatives Passes Religious Freedom Measure

Legislation, Religious Freedom, , ,

On Monday the Arkansas House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a good bill enhancing protections for religious freedom.

H.B. 1615, the Conscience Protection Act by Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R — Elm Springs) and Sen. Gary Stubblefield (R — Branch), makes important clarifications to the state Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

The bill also helps prohibit religious discrimination against individuals, business owners, and organizations that want to follow their deeply held religious convictions.

In 2015 Gov. Hutchinson signed Arkansas’ Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law. That good law has been on the books for the past eight years.

Since then, we have seen wedding venues, bakeries, photography studios, and florist shops come under fire, because their owners wanted to operate according to their deeply held convictions. That is why it is so important for our laws to protect religious liberty as much as possible.

H.B. 1615 improves on good state law to help prevent the government from burdening the free exercise of religion in Arkansas.

If enacted, H.B. 1615 would provide Arkansans with some of the best religious freedom protections in the nation.

The bill now goes to the Arkansas Senate for consideration.

The Following Representatives Voted For H.B. 1615

  • Achor
  • Andrews
  • Barker
  • Beaty Jr.
  • Beck
  • Bentley
  • M. Berry
  • S. Berry
  • Breaux
  • Brooks
  • K. Brown
  • M. Brown
  • Burkes
  • Joey Carr
  • John Carr
  • Cavenaugh
  • C. Cooper
  • Cozart
  • Crawford
  • Dalby
  • Duffield
  • Eaves
  • Eubanks
  • Evans
  • C. Fite
  • L. Fite
  • Fortner
  • Furman
  • Gazaway
  • Gonzales
  • Gramlich
  • Haak
  • Hawk
  • D. Hodges
  • G. Hodges
  • Holcomb
  • Hollowell
  • L. Johnson
  • Ladyman
  • Long
  • Lundstrum
  • Lynch
  • Maddox
  • J. Mayberry
  • McAlindon
  • McClure
  • McCollum
  • M. McElroy
  • McGrew
  • B. McKenzie
  • McNair
  • Miller
  • Milligan
  • J. Moore
  • K. Moore
  • Painter
  • Pearce
  • Pilkington
  • Puryear
  • Ray
  • Richmond
  • Rose
  • Rye
  • Schulz
  • R. Scott Richardson
  • Steimel
  • Tosh
  • Underwood
  • Unger
  • Vaught
  • Walker
  • Wardlaw
  • Warren
  • Watson
  • Wing
  • Womack
  • Wooldridge
  • Wooten

The Following Representatives Voted Against H.B. 1615

  • F. Allen
  • Clowney
  • A. Collins
  • Duke
  • Ennett
  • D. Ferguson
  • V. Flowers
  • D. Garner
  • Hudson
  • Magie
  • McCullough
  • Nicks
  • J. Richardson
  • Scott
  • T. Shephard
  • Springer
  • D. Whitaker

The Following Representatives Did Not Vote

  • K. Ferguson
  • Jean
  • S. Meeks
  • Perry
  • Speaker Shepherd

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Venue Investigated for Declining to Host Same-Sex Weddings

Religious Freedom, , ,

A wedding and event venue in Iowa reportedly is under investigation for declining to host same-sex weddings.

News outlets indicate the Grand Rapids’ Office of Equity and Engagements is investigating The Broadway Avenue, a wedding and event venue, for possibly violating the city’s “human rights ordinance.”

The Broadway Avenue is owned and operated by a husband and wife team.

The couple proclaims on the venue’s website, “We believe in Jesus and are so blessed by his calling in our lives to start The Broadway Avenue!”

Christian-owned wedding venues, bakeries, photography studios, and florist shops have come under fire in recent years for declining to host or participate in same-sex ceremonies.

Many have found themselves targeted by state and local “non-discrimination” ordinances that do not contain adequate protections for people who want to operate their businesses in keeping with their deeply-held religious convictions.

Stories like these underscore why it is so important for states to enact solid protections for religious liberty.

Without good protections for religious liberty at the state level, cities and counties may be able to run roughshod over the free exercise of religion.

Fortunately, Arkansas enacted the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in 2015 that helps protect religious liberty.

And last year the Arkansas Legislature voted to place the Arkansas Religious Freedom Amendment on the 2022 ballot.

If passed, the amendment would enshrine many of the same religious liberty protections from the 2015 law into the Arkansas Constitution, and our protect religious liberties from further erosion.

You Can Learn More About the Arkansas Religious Freedom Amendment Here.

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