Recently, West Virginia and Utah governors passed new legal measures to protect fundamental American rights such as religious liberty and freedom of speech. Both states approved the laws with bipartisan support from their respective lawmakers.
In West Virginia, Republican Gov. Jim Justice signed Senate Bill 503 into law last week to protect the freedom of association while fighting against discrimination toward student organizations on the state’s college campuses. The legislation received notable support from Republicans and Democrats in the state’s legislature.
The new legislation amends a prior rule that student organizations must be “open to all students.” Under the latest code, student organizations cannot be discriminated against for requiring members or leaders to affirm the “sincerely held beliefs” and other values the organization maintains.
The Alliance Defending Freedom, an organization centered around religious freedom, applauded West Virginia for its recent initiative to protect religious groups on college campuses. “Universities should encourage freedom of speech and religion, not shut it down,” stated ADF Senior Counsel and Director of the ADF Center for Public Policy Matt Sharp. “That includes safeguarding the ability of belief-based student organizations to associate with those who align with the organization’s mission and purpose.”
“We wouldn’t require a Democrat club to select a registered Republican as its president or an environmental club to admit members who support drilling in the Arctic,” Sharp further explained. “In the same way, religious clubs must remain free to require their leaders and members to adhere to their religious beliefs and values. This critical legislation specifically ensures that student groups at public universities can freely choose their leaders and members, and further their mission, absent of discrimination.”
Similarly, in Utah, Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed Senate Bill 150 last Thursday, a piece of legislation emphasizing the fundamental right of religious freedom. The law passed the state’s Republican-led House and Senate without opposition.
“A government entity or government action may substantially burden a person’s free exercise of religion only if the government entity, or any other person seeking to enforce government action, demonstrates that the burden on the person’s free exercise of religion” the bill reads. It adds that it is “essential to furthering a compelling government interest” and “the least restrictive means of furthering the compelling governmental interest.”
The Alliance Defending Freedom also commented on the Utah initiative, where Legal Counsel Greg Chaufen released a statement celebrating the bill’s approval. “Citizens shouldn’t be left defenseless when their government attempts to burden their ability to live and worship according to their faith. This law provides a sensible balancing test for courts to use when reviewing government policies that infringe upon the religious freedom rights of Utahans,” he said.
Chaufen added that the law will ensure that citizens in Utah are granted protection when a government infringes upon their political beliefs. “The law doesn’t determine who will win every disagreement, but it does ensure that every Utahan — regardless of their religious creed or political power — receives a fair hearing when a government action forces a person to violate his or her religious beliefs,” he continued. “We commend the Utah Legislature and Gov. Cox for enacting this important legislation and setting the stage to ensure that freedom of religion is protected for everyone.”
Featured image credit: Governor Jim Justice, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GMS01409_-_Jim_Justice.jpg
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