Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)
Hearing on Religious Discrimination.
On Thursday, March 26, House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution heard testimony of individuals with various religious beliefs who spoke of discrimination they faced because of their faith. Those testifying spoke of job discrimination, zoning ordinances interfering with the building of churches, bankruptcy trustees taking money from church offerings and prisoners not allowed to light Hanukkah candles. This hearing was the second one held by Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Charles Canady (R-FL) to focus on Americans’ stories of religious discrimination. Rep. Canady hopes to set the stage for a second version of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). The first RFRA was a federal law intended to protect religious freedoms and was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in June 1997. Since then, a number of states have introduced their own version of RFRA, but none have yet been enacted.
[Source: Family Research Council’s LEGISLATIVE HOTLINE, Friday, March 27, 1998]