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| Date: From: Subject: | 4/21/2006 5:03:05 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Colorado--Calls Needed to Support Homeschoolers' Religious Freedom |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== April 21, 2006 Colorado--Calls Needed to Support Homeschoolers' Religious Freedom Dear HSLDA members and friends: We have a tremendous opportunity to secure religious freedom for all Coloradans this Tuesday! Passage of a Religious Freedom Amendment (HCR 06-1007) in Colorado will help maintain your homeschool freedom. We are using RFAs to help homeschoolers successfully avoid onerous requirements under the homeschool laws in Pennsylvania and Florida. HCR 06-1007 is scheduled for the House State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee on Tuesday, April 25, 1:30 p.m. in room 0107. We need your calls and attendance. It was introduced by Representative Mark Cloer and drafted by HSLDA (working with a broad national coalition of religious groups). At present, more than a quarter of the states have acted to protect religious freedom. Rhode Island, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Arizona, South Carolina, Texas, Idaho, New Mexico, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Alabama and Oklahoma have passed their own state Religious Freedom Acts. HSLDA's legal staff has worked with religious freedom coalitions in the states (and the national state religious freedom coalition), helped draft legislation, lobbied individual state legislators, attorney generals, and governor offices, sent out numerous e-lerts, and provided testimony at some legislative hearings in order to advance these Religious Freedom Acts. The phone calls of thousands of homeschoolers particularly contributed to the passage of the RFAs in Illinois, Arizona, Texas, South Carolina, Idaho, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Illinois was successful after two HSLDA e-lerts and a tremendous outpouring of calls by homeschoolers convinced legislators to override the governor's veto. Religious freedom is one of the foundation blocks for the right to homeschool. Therefore, passage of a RFA in Colorado will strengthen your right to homeschool. ACTION REQUESTED 1) Please call as many members of the committee below and give them this message: "Protect religious freedom for all in Colorado. Please vote to support the Religious Freedom Amendment, HCR 06-1007." You do not need to identify yourself as a homeschooler because this bill will help protect everyone's religious freedom. Representatives on the House Judiciary Committee who need your calls are: Rep. Paul Weissmann, (D), Chairman (303) 866-2920 Rep. Ann Ragsdale, (D), Vice-Chairman (303) 86-2843 Rep. Terrance Carroll, (D) (303) 866-2909 Rep. Fran Coleman (D) (303) 866-2966 Rep. Rafael Gallegos, (D) (303) 866-2916 Rep. Nancy Todd (D) (303) 866-2919 2) Also we need your attendance to support HCR 06-1007 which is scheduled for a hearing before the House State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee on Tuesday, April 25, 1:30 p.m. in room 0107. Room 0107 is where the House Education Committee regularly meets and is located in the basement of the capitol between the elevators. BACKGROUND On June 25, 1997, by a 6-3 majority, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in The City of Boerne v. Flores that the 1993 federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) was unconstitutional. By making this ruling, the Court gave the lowest level of protection to religious liberty, one of the foundational freedoms of homeschooling. Under this minimal standard, Colorado can override a homeschooler or other citizen's right to freely exercise his religious beliefs merely by proving that its regulation is "reasonable." Since nearly all state regulations can be determined to be "reasonable," Christians will lose. Since the devastating Boerne decision, state and federal courts across the country have diminished religious freedom in many ways. For example: > The longstanding practice of pastor-congregation confidentiality has been repeatedly violated. > A church-sponsored hospital was denied accreditation for refusing to teach abortion techniques. > There have been conflicts with zoning ordinances, such as the forced termination of a church ministry to the homeless because it was located on the second floor of a building with no elevator. > A church ministry was prohibited from feeding more than 50 people per day. Passage of this act will raise the standard of protection for religious freedom in Colorado for individuals, homeschool parents, churches, and all who desire to freely exercise their religious beliefs. If passed, the Colorado RFA will restore the high standard of protection for religious liberty previously guaranteed in the federal RFRA and earlier Supreme Court decisions. Under the Nevada RFRA, if an individual's religious belief is in conflict with a state regulation, the state will have to prove, with evidence, that its regulation is essential to fulfilling the state's compelling interest and is the least restrictive means of doing so. If the state fails to carry the burden, the regulation must give way to the individual's religious freedom. Restoring this protection for religious freedom will simply "even the playing field." Don't let one decision by the U.S. Supreme Court denigrate this inalienable right. Urge your state representative now to restore protection for religious liberty in Colorado by supporting HCR 06-1007. Sincerely, Chris Klicka HSLDA Senior Counsel ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> How many acorns can a chipmunk hold in its cheeks? We don't know! But we do know that gathering little by little enables ordinary folks to prepare for hard times. That principle is behind HSLDA's payment plan: by paying a month at a time, families can receive an annual HSLDA membership. Meanwhile, they can feel secure as they homeschool and focus on other priorities -their children. Don't go nuts trying to pay for membership all at once. Choose one of our convenient payment plans. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1937 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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If this is an invalid email address or you have other problems, please reply to webmaster@hslda.org. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER: This is considered a private and confidential message from HSLDA to its bonafide HSLDA E-lert Service subscribers. HSLDA cannot attest to the authenticity of copies posted, forwarded, or sent by any party other than HSLDA. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: Please do not reply or otherwise use this email address; hslda@hslda.org is for broadcast purposes only and is not intended to receive incoming messages. We cannot reply to any email sent to this address. If you have comments or questions, please send email to info@hslda.org or call HSLDA at 540-338-5600. HSLDA members can also email staff directly through the Members website at http://members.hslda.org/contact.asp. Thank you for your cooperation. ====================================================================== | |
