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| Date: From: Subject: | 3/2/2012 3:25:05 PM Home School Legal Defense Association MORE Calls Needed to SENATE to Advance Freedom! |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== MORE Calls Needed to SENATE to Advance Freedom! Dear HSLDA Members and Friends: HB 2567, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, passed the West Virginia House on February 23 overwhelmingly with only two no votes! It is now being considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee; however, opponents are now calling with outlandish ideas, claiming this legislation will harm children and sanction discrimination. RFRA has been passed in 20 states, and this has not happened and would not happen. The West Virginia legislative session ends March 10, so the Senate must act now! Please call and email them today! ACTION REQUESTED Contact the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and your senator today and ask them to support the West Virginia Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Please give the following message in your own words: "Please support House Bill 2657, which passed overwhelmingly 92-2. This issue has been carefully studied for over three years, and the House's recommendation should be acted on by the Senate. HB 2657 would strengthen our First Amendment rights of religious liberty by codifying that West Virginia judges must meet the compelling interest test before infringing on the religious beliefs of West Virginia residents. This is needed because the U.S. Supreme Court issued its Smith opinion in 1993, which struck down the Federal RFRA as applied to the states in 1997. The West Virginia RFRA will restore religious freedom to its rightful place as a fundamental liberty in our state and WILL NOT protect child abusers nor sanction discrimination. The West Virignia Supreme Court has not addressed this issue since the Smith case, and the West Virginia RFRA will give the court the guidance it needs to properly protect religious freedom in our state. You can find the members of the committee here: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=13929 You can find out who your senator by ZIP code is here: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=13930 Read Mike Donnelly's letter to Senate leadership: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=13933 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 doing this, the Court gave the lowest level of protection to religious liberty. Under this minimal standard, the state can override a citizen's right to freely exercise his or her religious beliefs by simply proving that its regulation is "reasonable." Since nearly all state regulations can be determined to be "reasonable," religious freedom is exceedingly limited. If passed, the West Virginia RFRA would restore the high standard of protection for religious liberty previously guaranteed in the federal RFRA and earlier Supreme Court decisions. For additional information, visit our Issues Library at: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=13931 Thank you for your effort to advance freedom in West Virginia! Very truly yours, Michael P. Donnelly, Esq. Staff Attorney ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> You can only do so much... No one can be everywhere at once. And you can't be at home, teaching your children, while monitoring your state's legislature. Through electronic legislative services, HSLDA is monitoring state legislation for you -- watching and listening carefully for any proposed laws that could erode your right to homeschool. Join HSLDA today-we'll watch out for your future. 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Thank you for your cooperation. ====================================================================== | |
