Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Look! Up in the sky! It's a plane: RFRAs Around The Nation

In light of Indiana, there is a spot, or spots, of good news …

In Georgia, a specially called meeting of the House Judiciary Committee set for earlier this week was cancelled, leaving the future of the state’s so-called ‘religious liberty’ [RFRA] bill in doubt.
The committee was to decide the fate of that bill for this year, but one member—who asked not to be identified for fear of angering leadership—told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the meeting was off.
The committee member did not know if it would be rescheduled, but with lawmakers only meeting in session Tuesday and Thursday before ending their 2015 session, time is rapidly expiring on Senate Bill 129.
Good.Bye.

And over there to Montana, after a very heated floor debate, the Montana House failed to pass their “religious freedom” [RFRA] bill, H.B. 615, deadlocking on a 50-50 vote.
Like Indiana’s RFRA, H.B. 615, sponsored by Republican Representative Karl Glimm would have placed a legislative referendum on the November 2016 ballot that, if approved by voters, would have legalized discrimination, if it was based on a person’s religious beliefs.
The vote fell mostly on party lines, with all 41 Democrats voting against the bill, while 50 Republicans voted for it. But the great news, the startling news, is that 9 Republicans joined the Democrats in voting ‘No’ to legalized discrimination.

And up in North Carolina, Governor Pat McCrory voiced his concerns over that state’s proposed RFRA by asking:
“What is the problem they’re trying to solve?”
Now that doesn’t mean it’s a done deal, but it does look like, if the RFRAs passed then McCrory might not sign it.

Spotty good news, and while none of the outcomes are guaranteed, maybe, just maybe, we'll see less legalized hate in the future?

5 comments:

  1. Not to worry. I've posted a checklist to keep people safe traveling around the country...

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  2. they are also looking to pass on of these h8 bills in Arkansas.

    all the others are worried that the almighty $$$$ will pass them by if they enact such a h8 bill. AS WELL IT SHOULD!

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  3. Amazing! There might be some shiny happiness due to the extreme blunder of Indiana. That makes me happy.

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  4. NCs gov has already said he won't sign it, but there is enough support in both houses to overturn his veto. However, with all the fallout from IN, it looks like most RFRAs are being shelved, at least for now. AR seems to be the holdout.

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  5. I hope they realize that the Religious Freedoms Bills are going to kill their state economy

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