Louisiana Legislature Supports Freedom of Religion

The Louisiana Legislature is considering House Bill 430, which will strongly protect the religious liberties of its citizens.  House Bill 430 seeks to amend the Free Exercise Clause of the Louisiana Constitution in order to ensure that no law is enacted to prohibit any religious belief.  It also endeavors to guarantee the right of every person to freely act or refrain from acting based on a sincerely held religious belief.  The Bill was introduced to the Louisiana House of Representatives by Republican Legislator, Cameron Henry, and has since gained the support of Bobby Jindal, the Louisiana Governor.

Currently, the Louisiana Constitution provides that “no law shall be enacted respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”  Supporters of House Bill 430 believe that this language is insufficient to fully protect the exercise of religious beliefs.  House Bill 430 would modify the current language of the free exercise clause to now provide that “[n]o law shall be enacted respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting any religious belief.”  The Bill also seeks to guarantee “the right of every person to freely express his sincerely held religious belief and to engage in or refrain from activity based on a sincerely held religious belief.”  

Furthermore, House Bill 430 would make it more difficult for the government to burden an individual’s free exercise of their religion by forcing the government to prove that they have a compelling governmental interest in infringing upon a specific expression, act, or refusal to act based on a sincerely held religious conviction.  Cameron Henry believes the original intent of Louisiana citizens who approved the 1974 Constitution has been weakened and that this amendment is now needed to protect Louisiana’s citizens’ religious liberties to the extent originally intended.

The Bill is currently before the Committee on Civil Law and Procedure.  Should House Bill 430 become law, the proposed amendment will be submitted to the voters of the State of Louisiana at the statewide election to be held on November 2, 2010.

This information is provided by Advocates for Faith and Freedom, a non-profit religious law firm dedicated to protecting religious liberty in the courts!  To help us in our ongoing battle for religious freedom, click here to donate to Advocates.