Indiana's Religious Freedom Law

Indiana’s Religious Freedom Law

Senate Bill 568 | Introduced Senate Bill (S) Authored by Sen. Scott Schneider, Sen. Dennis Kruse, Sen. Brent Steele. Co-Authored by Sen. Carlin Yoder, Sen. James Buck, Sen. Amanda Banks, Sen. Liz Brown, Sen. James Smith, Sen. James Tomes, Sen. Greg Walker, Sen. Brent Waltz, Sen. Jean Leising.

Religious freedom restoration act. Provides that a state or local government action may not substantially burden a person’s right to the exercise of religion unless it is demonstrated that applying the burden to the person’s exercise of religion is: (1) essential to further a compelling governmental interest; and (2) the least restrictive means of furthering the compelling governmental interest. Provides that a person whose exercise of religion has been substantially burdened, or is likely to be substantially burdened, by a state or local government action may assert the burden as a claim or defense in a judicial proceeding, regardless of whether the state or a political subdivision of the state is a party to the judicial proceeding. Allows a person who asserts a burden as a claim or defense to obtain appropriate relief, including: (1) injunctive relief; (2) declaratory relief; (3) compensatory damages; and (4) recovery of court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees.

Pentecostal Theology [07/05/2015 5:28 AM]
There’s no real mystery about the purpose of the “Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” which Republican Gov. Mike Pence signed last week. The goal is to give business owners a stronger legal defense if they refuse to serve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender customers and want to cite their faith as justification for their actions. That is why groups representing religious conservatives support it, standing behind Gov. Mike Pence as he signed the bill last weekend. That is also why groups advocating for LGBT rights, along with a slew of corporations and celebrities, have protested the law’s enactment — creating such uproar that Pence said on Tuesday he was open to “clarifying” the legislation. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/01/indiana-religious-freedom_n_6984156.html