Written by Don Byrd
Kentucky may be the next state to enact a Religious Freedom Restoration Act bill after a Senate committee voted 6-0 to approve SB 158. Like other RFRAs around the country, mirroring the law that similarly restricts the federal government, the measure would prohibit Kentucky’s state and local governments from placing a burden on religious exercise without a compelling interest, met using the least restrictive available means.
Proponents are hopeful that the bill would limit prosecutions that have become more common in the state in recent years.
[Bill sponsor Jimmy] Higdon said SB 158, which passed 6-0, would have avoided situations in Western Kentucky in which several Amish men were charged and sent to jail because they wouldn’t put red and orange safety triangles on their buggies for religious reasons. Instead, Higdon said, the amendment would have allowed them use reflective tape that wouldn’t violate their religious beliefs.
The bill now goes to the Senate, where it needs approval from three-fifths of its members to move on to the House.
