Religious freedom bill advances after Arkansans say it will foster anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination
An Arkansas House committee approved a bill Tuesday that supporters said would protect religious freedom, a day after the Senate rejected a bill with a similar stated goal.
House Bill 1615 will be heard by the full House Wednesday after passing the Judiciary Committee on a split voice vote following nearly an hour of public opposition. The bill would 'prohibit the government from discriminating against certain individuals and organizations because of their beliefs regarding marriage or what it means to be female or male.'
This would protect Arkansas government employees from adverse employment action if they refuse to do something within the context of their jobs that conflicts with their 'sincerely held religious beliefs,' such as providing a marriage license to a same-sex couple, according to the bill.
House Bill 1669, which had similar language regarding the 'sincerely held religious beliefs' of parents seeking to foster or adopt children in Arkansas, failed in the Senate Monday after passing a House committee, the full House and the Senate Judiciary Committee in March. The bill's Republican sponsors, Rep. Mary Bentley of Perryville and Sen. Alan Clark of Lonsdale, said HB 1669 would ensure Arkansas does not join the ranks of states in which parents who do not accept or affirm LGBTQ+ children's identities are not allowed to foster or adopt.
Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, said the bill would set a 'dangerous precedent' by shielding foster or adoptive parents from adverse government action if their faith-based actions harm children. He reminded the chamber that not all 'sincerely held religious beliefs' are Christian.
Fifteen Republican senators voted for the bill, which needed 18 votes to pass. Dismang and three other Republicans joined the chamber's six Democrats in voting against the bill. Five more Republicans did not vote and four voted present. The Senate later expunged the vote, and the bill is on the upper chamber's Wednesday agenda.
The original version of Act 733 of 2023 included language about foster care, adoption agencies and the issuing of marriage licenses similar to both HB 1669 and HB 1615. That legislation was amended to remove such specific language. Critics said it would not only empower anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination but also would contradict a similarly worded ballot measure that voters rejected in 2022.
Rep. Robin Lundstrum, R-Elm Springs, is the primary sponsor of Act 733 and HB 1615. Attorneys from the conservative First Liberty Institute and the Family Council's Arkansas Justice Institute supported Lundstrum in presenting the bill to the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.
Attorney J.P. Tribell was the only opponent of Bentley's bill in the March 12 House committee hearing, but one of eight opponents of HB 1615 Tuesday.
'[There are] some rural counties where possibly everybody in the courthouse might be opposed to gay marriage, and if somebody wants to get a marriage license and they can find nobody, at what point do we determine that there's an undue burden on the person seeking a marriage license?' Tribell said. 'Do they have to drive two to three hours to get to Little Rock to do that?'
Civics educator Gail Choate said HB 1615 espouses the 'opposite logic' of Act 116 of 2025, which all but one of HB 1615's 13 sponsors supported. Act 116 prohibits public entities from engaging in identity-based 'discriminination' or 'preferential treatment' in contracting and hiring practices.
'This bill does not evaluate individuals based on their actions, their qualifications or their ability to contribute to society,' Choate said. 'It singles them out solely based upon their identity.'
Other opponents of the bill spoke on behalf of themselves or their loved ones in the LGBTQ+ community. Kaymo O'Connell, a transgender high school senior from Little Rock, expressed concern about experiencing employment discrimination upon entering the workforce in the near future.
HB 1615 allows government employees who issue marriage licenses to recuse themselves from doing so. Marie Mainard O'Connell, Kaymo's mother, said HB 1615 lacks a public notification process for such recusals.
'That's where the harm occurs,' she said. '[People] are harmed when they expect to be cared for, and then they are told, 'I don't believe that about you, I don't have to care for you that way.' That creates a moment of trauma.'
Social worker Kirsten Sowell and therapist Courtney Frierson said HB 1615 would create a conflict between their ethical codes, which include acceptance of LGBTQ+ people, and the fact that the state issues their professional licenses.
'If my licensing board receives a complaint based on someone's religious disagreement with my inclusive care, who are they supposed to protect: me or the complainant?' Frierson said. 'That's a legal gray zone, and it's not theoretical, it's coming.'
No members of the public or of the House Judiciary Committee spoke in favor of HB 1615. Opposition on the committee primarily came from its Democrats, including Rep. Nicole Clowney of Fayetteville, who called it 'blatant viewpoint discrimination.'
'We heard a lot of abstract ideas about religious freedom [today],' she said. 'We did not hear from one person who is for this bill who is currently being persecuted.'
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
37 minutes ago
California Democrats' push for redistricting faces a tight legislative deadline
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California Democrats are making a partisan push to draw new congressional districts and reshape the state's U.S. House representation in their favor, but to pull it off, lawmakers returning to the Capitol on Monday face a tight deadline and must still win voters' approval. Limits on federal immigration raids and advancing racial justice efforts are also among the hundreds of proposals the Legislature will vote on before the session ends in September. Here's a look at what's ahead for lawmakers in their last month in session: Lawmakers are expected to spend the first week back after summer break advancing the new congressional map at the urging of Gov. Gavin Newsom. The new map aims at winning Democrats five more U.S. House seats in the 2026 midterms and is a direct response to President Donald Trump's efforts to redraw Texas' map to help Republicans retain their control of the U.S. House. So far, California is the only state beyond Texas that has officially waded into the redistricting fight, although others have signaled they might launch their own efforts. California Democrats, who hold supermajorities in both chambers, unveiled the new map Friday. State lawmakers in both houses will hold hearings on the map and vote to put it to voters in a special election in November. If voters agree, the new map would replace the one drawn by an independent commission that took effect in 2022. The new map would only take effect if Texas or another Republican-led state moves forward with their own mid-decade redistricting and would remain through the 2030 elections. Democrats said they will return the map-making power to the commission after the next census. The current effort is to save democracy and counter Trump's agenda, they said. State Republicans vowed to legally challenge the effort, arguing that voters in 2010 already voted to remove partisan influence from how maps are drawn. State lawmakers are contending with how to balance meeting the state's climate goals with lowering utility and gas prices. Those discussions have been colored by the planned closures of two oil refineries that account for nearly 18% of the state's refining capacity, according to air regulators. The Legislature will have to respond to those concerns when it debates whether to reauthorize the state's cap-and-trade program, which is set to expire in 2030. The program allows large greenhouse gas emitters to buy allowances from the state equivalent to what they plan to emit. Over time, fewer allowances are made available with the goal of spurring companies to pollute less. A large portion of revenues from the program goes into a fund that helps pay for climate, affordable housing and transportation projects. The program also funds a credit that Californians receive twice a year on their utility bills. Newsom wants lawmakers to extend the program through 2045, commit $1 billion annually from the fund for the state's long-delayed high-speed rail project and set aside $1.5 billion a year for state fire response. Many environmental groups want the state to update the program by ending free allowances for industrial emitters, ensuring low-income households receive a higher credit on their utility bills, and ending or strengthening an offset program that helps companies comply by supporting projects aimed at reducing planet-warming emissions. Lawmakers will vote on a host of proposals introduced in response to the escalation of federal immigration crackdowns in Los Angeles and across the state. That includes legislation that would make it a misdemeanor for local, state and federal law enforcement officers to cover their faces while conducting official business. The proposal makes exceptions for officers wearing a medical grade mask, coverings designed to protect against exposure to smoke during a wildfire, and other protective gear used by SWAT officers while performing their duties. Proponents said the measure would boost transparency and public trust in law enforcement while also preventing people from trying to impersonate law enforcement. Opponents, including law enforcement, said the bill would disrupt local undercover operations without addressing the issue because California doesn't have authority over federal agents. Another proposal would require law enforcement to identify themselves during official business. State Democrats are also championing several proposals that would limit immigration agents without warrants from entering school campuses, hospitals and homeless or domestic violence shelters. A first-in-the-nation state task force released a report in 2023 with more than 100 recommendations for how the state should repair historic wrongdoings against Black Californians descended from enslaved people. The California Legislative Black Caucus introduced a reparations package last year inspired by that work, but the measures did not include direct payments for descendants, and the most ambitious proposals were blocked. The caucus introduced another package this year aimed at offering redress to Black Californians. One of the bills would authorize universities to give admissions priority to descendants of enslaved people. Another would ensure 10% of funds from a state program providing loans to first-time homebuyers goes to descendants. A third would allow the state to set aside $6 million to fund research by California State University on how to confirm residents' eligibility for any reparations programs. Some reparations advocates say the proposals fall short. They say many of the measures are ways to delay implementing one of the task force's key recommendations: direct compensation to descendants of slavery.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Newsom Trolls ‘TACO Trump' With a Truth Social-Style All-Caps Rant After Missed Ultimatum Deadline
California Gov. Gavin Newsom trolled President 'DONALD 'TACO' TRUMP' with an all-caps social media post, complete with run-on sentences and random quotation marks, announcing California's response to Republican gerrymandering. Facing the prospect of losing control of the House of Representatives during next year's midterm elections, Trump has pressured several red states to immediately redraw their congressional districts to give Republicans an advantage. The maps are usually redrawn once every 10 years, after the census is completed, and not mid-decade. On Monday, Newsom sent the president a letter asking him to call off the 'unprecedented, mid-decade, hyper-partisan gerrymander to rig the upcoming midterm elections.' 'If you will not stand down, I will be forced to lead an effort to redraw the maps in California to offset the rigging of maps in red states,' he wrote. 'But if the other states call off their redistricting efforts, we will happily do the same. And American democracy will be better for it.' Newsom then followed up Tuesday with a trolling all-caps post saying Trump had 24 hours to respond to his letter, and when that failed, he went full MAGA, writing in a social media post: 'DONALD 'TACO' TRUMP, AS MANY CALL HIM, 'MISSED' THE DEADLINE!!! CALIFORNIA WILL NOW DRAW NEW, MORE 'BEAUTIFUL MAPS,' THEY WILL BE HISTORIC AS THEY WILL END THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY (DEMS TAKE BACK THE HOUSE!).' Among Wall Street traders, the president's flip-flopping on tariff policy earned him the nickname 'TACO' for Trump Always Chickens Out. Newsom's post further announced a 'BIG PRESS CONFERENCE THIS WEEK WITH POWERFUL DEMS AND GAVIN NEWSOM — YOUR FAVORITE GOVERNOR — THAT WILL BE DEVASTATING FOR 'MAGA.' THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER! — GN.' The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment. Facing record-low polling numbers, Trump launched a redistricting arms race last month when he asked Texas for 'just a simple redraw' of its congressional maps to help Republicans pick up five seats in the Lone Star State. Democrats vowed to retaliate in states like California, New York and Illinois, prompting Republicans to eye states like Republican-controlled states such as Ohio and Indiana. Unlike Texas, though, California has an independent commission that draws political maps, and Newsom will need to push through a special ballot measure in November to carry out his redistricting plans. During an interview Tuesday with Fox News, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis claimed California's commission was a 'ruse' and the state map is already gerrymandered. 'The Thirst Queen has emerged,' Newsom's office hit back on social media. 'We will not be lectured on democracy by someone who lost to a cartoon mouse with gloves.' Florida became locked in a battle royale with The Walt Disney Company in 2022 when Disney's former CEO Bob Chapek vowed to work to overturn a 2022 state law—colloquially known as the 'Don't Say Gay' law—that prohibited classroom discussion of sexuality. DeSantis retaliated by working with Republican lawmakers to pass a measure revoking Disney's self-governing status. Disney sued, and the case was settled in 2024. The Daily Beast has reached out to DeSantis' office for comment.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Idiot' Trump Aide Called Out for Failed Jab at Gavin Newsom
Gavin Newsom's press office called out 'idiot' White House Communications Director Steven Cheung for his attempted online attack of the California governor. Cheung, in a profane post on X, claimed the Democrat was 'too chicken s--t to take questions from the press' after his speech Thursday about congressional redistricting to counter similar GOP moves in Texas and other red states. Except that's exactly what Newsom did. Less than 15 minutes after Cheung called Newsom a 'coward' and 'beta cuck,' the governor's press office shot back in the replies. 'Questions are streamed here you idiot,' they wrote, linking to a question-and-answer session in which the governor fielded nine questions from reporters. The Newsom account highlighted Cheung's mistake in another post—this one directed to the public. 'Steven Cheung (incompetent Trump staffer) doesn't know how to use his computer. SAD!' they wrote, adopting Donald Trump's style of posting. The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast asking if Cheung plans on deleting or editing his post. The recent trend by Newsom's press team of imitating Trump's tone was the topic of one of the questions Newsom responded to in the Q-and-A. 'I hope it's a wake-up call—the president of the United States, sort of following his example,' Newsom said. 'If you've got issues with what I'm putting out, you sure as hell should have concerns about what he's putting out as president,' he continued. 'So, to the extent it's got some attention, I'm pleased, but I think the deeper question is: how have we allowed the normalization of his tweets and Truth Social posts over the last several years to go without similar scrutiny and notice.' For days, that account has been aiming to make Trump aware of the purpose of Newsom's speech Thursday: announcing a November special election to vote on proposed new maps to nullify GOP-friendly redistricting in red states. Newsom reiterated to reporters Thursday that if states like Texas, Florida, Missouri, and Indiana call off their 'unprecedented, mid-decade, hyper-partisan gerrymander to rig the upcoming midterm elections,' then California's redistricting effort won't be necessary. But there don't appear to be signs of Republicans backing down. 'Gavin Newsom's latest stunt has nothing to do with Californians and everything to do with consolidating radical Democrat power, silencing California voters, and propping up his pathetic 2028 presidential pipe dream,' National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Christian Martinez said.
