Mississippi Legislature Sends Amended RFRA to Governor

Written by Don Byrd Updating a story I have been following, the Mississippi legislature has decided to act after all on a state RFRA law. A conference report between the Senate, which previously passed a version of RFRA unanimously, and the House, which more recently...

Mississippi Senators Try Again on RFRA Bill

Written by Don Byrd
Mississippi state senators are giving Religious Freedom Restoration Act legislation one more chance. Back in January, the Senate unanimously passed the bill, which would raise the standard for when the government can burden a person’s religious exercise. But that was before, in many states considering such legislation, the RFRA debate was flooded with concerns about discrimination. (See my earlier post, “What Happened in Arizona?”).

The Mississippi House responded by voting to send the RFRA portion of the bill back to be studied. The Senate, however, rejected that idea on Thursday. Read on for more…

Supreme Court Argument Next Week Puts Spotlight on RFRA

Written by Don Byrd
On Tuesday, the US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in 2 cases regarding the contraception coverage mandate for employers providing health insurance. The plaintiff companies argue the requirement forces their owners to violate their religious beliefs. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act, they claim, prohibits the government from placing such a burden, even on for-profit companies.

As this Associated Press preview demonstrates, expressing the owners’ faith through company policy is not new for Hobby Lobby.