Iowa State Senator Champions Religious Liberty Legislation

January 18, 2017: Republican Iowa State Senator Dennis Guth signalled that he will re-introduce a religious liberty bill that was rejected by lawmakers in Iowa last year.

The rejected bill, called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, states that authorities can not interfere with a person’s religious freedoms unless there is a compelling cause to do so.

Twenty other states already have such legislation, which affects state-level and municipal matters.

The bill has been vigorously fought by opposing lawmakers and activists that believe such legislation allows for discrimination against the LGBT community.

According to CBS-affiliated television station KIMT, Guth is determined to move forward with the legislation in Iowa.

“The idea of religious freedom, the freedom to live and work according to your own conscience, according to to the dictates of your beliefs every day, not just on Sunday when you go to church or Saturday if you’re Jewish or Seventh-day Adventist or whatever, but to be able to live and work according to that is an important principle that makes this nation great,” said Guth.

On a federal level, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 was passed almost unanimously and signed into law by President Bill Clinton.

Although it was later ruled to be unconstitutional as applied to states, it continues to be applied to federal government.