Rewrite Of RFRA Fails Quickly In Senate

INDIANAPOLIS -- An Indiana lawmaker Wednesday took another pass at rewriting last year’s religious freedom restoration law – and the measure barely got a hearing, let alone a vote. 

Indianapolis Republican Sen. Mike Young’s bill would label certain constitutional rights as “fundamental” – right to worship, freedom of religion, free exercise of religion, and the freedoms of speech, thought, assembly and petition.  The measure would require judges to give deference to those rights in a legal dispute, which Young says they don’t necessarily do now.

“But one day, when your rights are taken away, I had a bill that would have protected your rights,” Young said.

Committee Chair Brent Steele says Young’s bill has been mischaracterized and because of that, now isn’t the time to act on it.

“Probably next year would be a chance to have a legal discussion on this about protecting our constitutional rights,” Steele said.

Steele didn’t take testimony on the bill and didn’t hold a vote – the measure won’t advance.