Arkansas Committee Defeats Religious License To Discriminate Against Gays – For Now

Arkansas lawmakers defeated a bill – for now – that would allow individuals and businesses to discriminate against LGBT people on religious grounds.

Lawmakers on the Arkansas Senate Judiciary Committee late Wednesday voted against a bill that would have provided individuals and businesses a license to discriminate against LGBT people without fear of legal retribution. The legislation, similar to many bills working their way through state legislatures, is one of a growing number of “conscience protection” bills based on a federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

The bill, had it passed into law, would have allowed anyone to refuse service to anyone else, by merely citing deeply held religious beliefs.

Wal-Mart, after remaining silent about an anti-LGBT bill that Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson allowed to become law this week, voiced opposition to the measure, HB 1228. The governor also voiced reservations about the legislation, the AP reports.

But supporters of the bill promised it will return, and given that the vote was 4-3 in favor of the bill – five “yes” votes were needed for it to advance – Arkansas will likely see it again, soon. 

The Arkansas Times explains how easy that could be.

The bill could be pulled from committee to the Senate floor, a maneuver that requires only a simple majority of the overwhelmingly Republican chamber. Republicans as a party here and nationally are opposed to equal treatment of gay people.

And the Washington Blade reports that “John Reed, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Senate, said the ‘bill is not dead’ and there are ‘several ways to keep plugging’ away at it, including winning more support in committee for a successful vote at a later time.”

“It’s not a hard and fast death for the bill,” Reed said, noting there’s still “plenty of time” in the legislative session to move forward with the measure.

The Human Rights Campaign has unveiled a $25,000 campaign to defeat it.

It was a rare, albeit possibly short-lived legislative victory for the LGBT community in the South, where anti-gay bills have been mounting. Arkansas lawmakers last week rammed through an anti-gay bill that claimed to be a commerce protection act, but in reality stripped local cities and towns from enforcing non-discrimination ordinances. That bill, which became law on Tuesday, has already been duplicated in Texas and West Virginia.

Some conservatives were outraged over the bill’s defeat.

While equality supporters celebrated.

At least, for now.

 

Image by Cody Davis via Flickr and a CC license