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Arkansas passes its own religious freedom bill despite uproar in Indiana
The Republican majority legislative houses of Arkansas have sent HB1228 (RFRA) to the desk of Republican governor Asa Hutchinson who says he will sign the legislation into law. This legislation is similar to, and even broader than, a similar law recently passed in Indiana. From what I understand, only the Arkansas state legislature can write Arkansas nondiscriminatory law (no cities, towns, etc), and they have refused to include the LGBT community as a protected civil rights class. Whats more, the state legislature will go into recess in a day or two. In Arkansas, the state legislators tackle financial matters in one session, and other matters in the next legislative session. This means that the next legislative session that could address HB1228 won't convene until after the up-next financial session has concluded. Basically, two years from now.
March 31, 2015
The Arkansas Legislature on Tuesday gave final approval to a bill that critics charge could allow discrimination against gays and lesbians in the name of religious beliefs. The passage came hours after Indiana’s governor promised a legislative fix for that state’s version of the bill, which has led to a national uproar and some boycotts.
Arkansas' Religious Freedom Restoration Act now heads to the desk of Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a moderate Republican, who has said he will sign it into law. Opponents, including retail giant Wal-Mart, called on him to veto the bill. Supporters argue the law protects religious freedom and is not designed to discriminate against any group. But opponents contend the class of laws allow businesses to deny service to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people.
On Tuesday, Wal-Mart called on the governor to veto the bill. In a statement, Chief Executive Doug McMillon said the legislation "threatens to undermine the spirit of inclusion present throughout the state of Arkansas and does not reflect the values we proudly uphold. For these reasons, we are asking Governor Hutchinson to veto this legislation.” Mark Stodola, the Democratic mayor of Little Rock, the state's biggest city, announced this week he was opposing the law. “Any piece of legislation that is so divisive cannot possibly be good for the state of Arkansas and its people. With these kind of 'wedge issues,' no one is a winner on either side,” Stodola wrote.
Republicans control both chambers of the state Legislature. Arkansas lawmakers said they weren't seeking to modify their version. “There's not really any place to make any changes now,” Republican Rep. Bob Ballinger of Hindsville told the Associated Press and other reporters. “If there are questions in two years, we can fix it.”
The Republican majority legislative houses of Arkansas have sent HB1228 (RFRA) to the desk of Republican governor Asa Hutchinson who says he will sign the legislation into law. This legislation is similar to, and even broader than, a similar law recently passed in Indiana. From what I understand, only the Arkansas state legislature can write Arkansas nondiscriminatory law (no cities, towns, etc), and they have refused to include the LGBT community as a protected civil rights class. Whats more, the state legislature will go into recess in a day or two. In Arkansas, the state legislators tackle financial matters in one session, and other matters in the next legislative session. This means that the next legislative session that could address HB1228 won't convene until after the up-next financial session has concluded. Basically, two years from now.