Poised to Pass
Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, February 26, 2016 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler
Monday is the 30th day of this legislative session and House bills that haven’t passed the House and Senate bills that haven’t passed the Senate by then are dead, unless they’re attached to bills half-way through the process and poised to pass.
S.B. 275 is a good bill that’s poised to pass. Without fanfare, it passed the Senate 52-1 on February 22nd. It states that no governing body of any county, consolidated government, or municipality; local board of education; or any other state or local governmental entity could adopt or maintain any policy, rule, or other provision that has the effect of preventing the right to exercise freedom of speech by the members of that governing body. If S.B. 275 were to pass, current governmental policies that limit the free exercise of speech could not be maintained. Call 404 656-5125 and ask Judiciary Chairman Willard to pass S.B. 275 out of committee.
Representative Tanner’s H.B. 757, “The Pastors’ Bill,” is in an almost-passed category, because it passed the House 161-0, but was amended on the Senate floor. Its original version (a) protected the right of pastors and clerics to refuse to solemnize marriages that offend their religious beliefs, (b) upheld the constitutional protection of Saturday and Sunday as days of rest, and (c) protected property rights of religious organizations. That version passed the House February 11th and went to the Senate, where it passed 38-14 after S.B. 284 was added to it.That made H.B. 757 much better, because the Pastors’ Bill failed to protect the religious rights of the general public and did not protect pastors’ religious freedom when they weren’t presiding over marriages. With the addition of S.B. 284, H.B. 757 also (d) prohibits government from taking action against any individual or faith-based organization if such action is based wholly or partially on religious acts, speech, or beliefs that marriage should be only between a man and a woman or that (e) sexual relations are properly reserved to such a union.
H.B. 757 as amended requires its provisions to be interpreted as a broad protection of free exercise of religious beliefs to the maximum extent permitted by the United States Constitution, and the Georgia Constitution. In addition, it cannot be interpreted to narrow the meaning of any other Georgia law protecting the free exercise of religious beliefs.
Senator Kirk explained it this way: “‘Live and let live,’ is the motto of the First Amendment Defense Act of Georgia. Faith based organizations that believe in the long held definition of marriage should have the right to operate freely without fear of persecution or discrimination. One group’s access to a right does not diminish the rights of another.”
Since the Senate amended H.B. 757, it goes back for more action in the House. Meantime, it’s poised for passage, but could be changed again. Call 404 656-1776 and ask the governor to protect the current version of H.B. 757. For Georgia Insight I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.