TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) House members have approved a bill that aims to put certain guarantees of religious freedoms in Kansas law, codifying current legal precedents.
The 91-33 vote Thursday sends the bill to the Senate. Conservative Republicans drafted the bill to protect Kansas residents from laws that they say infringe upon their rights to religious freedom.
The bill declares that state and local government policies shall not “substantially burden” people’s right to exercise their religious beliefs without showing a compelling interest and imposing the burden in the least restrictive way possible.
It also declares that people have the right to sue state and local government agencies if they feel their religious freedoms have been abridged.
Critics argue the bill would allow discrimination under the guise of protecting religious beliefs.
