Legislative committee rejects Maine ‘religious freedom’ bill
AUGUSTA — A bill intended to protect religious freedom, but which opponents said would have opened the door to the use of religion to justify illegal discrimination and Maine Human Rights Act violations, suffered a serious blow Thursday when the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee voted 8-4 against passage.
Thursday’s vote came after considerable debate, which drew dozens of people and advocacy groups to a public hearing and rallies at the State House last month. LD 1428, which was amended substantially from its original version, would have mirrored the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. In essence, the bill sought to protect the right to the free exercise of religion in Maine by guaranteeing that no state law would infringe on a person’s free exercise of religion unless the law is necessary to further a compelling state interest.
From a practical perspective, it would have given anyone who believes their religious rights are being infringed upon a legal defense in court or against an enforcement action, though the bill’s opponents argued that religious rights are already protected in the U.S. Constitution and the Maine Human Rights Act.
Sen. David Burns, R-Whiting, the lead sponsor of the bill and a member of the Judiciary Committee, said part of its worth was that it would have made clear to all levels of government how they should react to situations involving the religious freedoms of employees or constituents, possibly preventing some conflicts from ending up in court.
http://www.sunjournal.com/news/maine/2014/01/24/controversial-maine-religious-freedom-bill-rejected-legislative-committee/1482887
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