And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: HOUSE OKS BILL RESTRICTING INTERFERENCE WITH RELIGION http://chicagotribune.com/splash/article/1,1139,SAV-9907160122,00.html By Glen Elsasser Washington Bureau July 16, 1999 WASHINGTON -- Writing a new chapter in a decadelong dispute with the Supreme Court, the House approved legislation Thursday that prohibits government from interfering with religious practices. Supporting the bill, which easily passed, 306-118, were the Clinton administration and a broad coalition of more than 80 religious and civil rights groups, ranging from the U.S. Catholic Conference, the Episcopal Church and the Anti-Defamation League to the liberal People for the American Way and the conservative Family Research Council. The measure prevents any program that receives federal funds from taking actions that "substantially burden" religious practices. It would allow some restrictions, however, provided they are "the least restrictive means" of furthering a compelling state interest, such as health or commerce. The Religious Liberty Protection Act is almost certain to face a test in federal courts if it is enacted by the Senate and signed into law by the president. The Justice Department, however, predicted that the law would eventually pass constitutional muster in the Supreme Court. The measure is Congress' response to a 1997 Supreme Court ruling that struck down the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which prohibited government from "substantially burdening" a person's religious practices through laws never intended for that purpose. For example, the 1993 law, before it was overturned, was used by lower courts to stop the District of Columbia from closing a Presbyterian church's soup kitchen for zoning violations, to protect a Jehovah's Witness who was denied a job for refusing to take a loyalty oath and to allow an imprisoned Catholic to wear a crucifix. The 1993 law was Congress' response to the high court's ruling in a 1990 Oregon case that rejected claims of religious bias by two drug counselors who were denied unemployment benefits because they used peyote, a hallucinogenic drug, during Native American religious rites. The 1993 law was overturned on grounds that it was overly broad. The new measure, its backers claim, is more narrowly focused. Thursday's vote came after the rejection of an amendment offered by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), which would have closed what the New York City legislator and the American Civil Liberties Union charged was a potentially dangerous loophole. The vote was 234-190. Nadler and the ACLU expressed concerns that the new law might allow individuals to discriminate--for example, on grounds of marital status, sexual orientation, gender or religion--while claiming to be following the dictates of their own religion. "This has been a difficult issue--seeking to balance religious freedom and civil rights-- and I believe my amendment accomplishes both important goals," Nadler said. "As the bill proceeds through Congress, I am hopeful we can correct the bill before it is signed into law." Conservatives also expressed reservations about the measure Thursday, saying it interferes with state and local authority. "Our nation does not need an unconstitutional federal standard of religious freedom," warned Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas). The bill generally requires government agencies to show they are not discriminating against individuals and groups that raise valid objections to regulations that limit their exercise of religious freedom. It would also limit land-use regulations that have a discriminatory impact on religious organizations and individuals. Among the bill's dozens of sponsors were Reps. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.), Jerry Weller (R-Ill.) and James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.). Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ UPDATES: CAMP JUSTICE http://shell.webbernet.net/~ishgooda/oglala/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
