VICTORY — Since the Senate & House passed 2 different versions of the same bill, a conference committee was appointed to work out differences. The Speaker of the House appointed Representatives Cameron Henry, Tim Burns and John Edwards. The Senate President appointed Senators Nick Gautreaux, Dan Claitor and himself. The bill died in conference committee.
Summary:
This is a constitutional amendment to redefine "Freedom of Religion." We are concerned that it would allow a "freedom to discriminate" based upon "sincere religious belief."
Talking Points:
This bill opens a Pandora's Box for people to ignore any law they don't like by claiming it is against their sincerely held religious beliefs. That includes any equal rights protections that exist or that might be passed in the future.
The language of HB340 is vague and will have unintended consequences and a flood of lawsuits that will cost the state hundreds of thousands of dollars in resources.
The current Freedom of Religion section of the Louisiana Constitution is the exact same wording as the U.S. Constitution. It is clear and unambiguous and it does not need to be changed.
