OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Ensuring Religious Liberty

Floor Speech

Date: May 15, 2019
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Religion Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

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Mr. LIPINSKI. Madam Speaker, all Americans deserve equal treatment under the law and should have these rights protected, including individuals in the LGBT community.

They should be able to compete equally for jobs, be assured equal opportunity in education, housing, financial, and judicial settings.

At the same time, the free exercise of religious beliefs is a core ideal of our country, protected in the Constitution and through Federal law.

The Equality Act explicitly prevents application of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, RFRA. This law was passed nearly unanimously in 1993 by a Democratic House, Senate, and White House.

Congress has never passed a law that shrinks or exempts itself from RFRA. It is critical to ensuring that religious freedom stands a chance of being fully lived out and fairly treated in court.

This week, I will vote for the Equality Act for the broader goals. But before it becomes law, we must do more to ensure religious liberty.

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