OK: State passes bill that would prohibit closing places of worship in 80-18 vote

[mountaineer]

State passes bill that would prohibit closing places of worship in 80-18 vote
March 5, 2021

The Oklahoma House overwhelmingly passed a bill Wednesday that would ban the government from closing churches and places of worship in scenarios like the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act passed the state’s House of Representatives 80-18 and now heads to the state’s Senate.

“People came to this continent seeking religious freedom and to escape a tyrannical government, and our country’s founders had the wisdom to specifically outline the freedom to worship in one of our founding documents,” Oklahoma state Republican Rep. Brian Hill, who sponsored the bill, said Wednesday, KOCO 5 News reported. ... BizPacReview

[mountaineer]

A value-laden headline from the Tulsa World:

Houses of worship trump public health, Oklahoma House decides
    Randy Krehbiel
Mar 3, 2021 Updated Mar 4, 2021


Places of worship could not be closed by government order during public health emergencies under legislation approved Wednesday by the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

House Bill 2648, by Rep. Brian Hill, R-Mustang, stems from dissatisfaction with efforts to shutter or limit attendance at such facilities. HB 2648 would prohibit complete closure but not enforcement of other public health measures such as face masks or gathering sizes. ...

Democrats argued that temporary closure of a building for safety reasons is not a “substantial burden” — the legal test for religious freedom challenges — because other means of worship are available.

“(Do) you understand our concerns have much less to do with attending church and more to do with where the attendees go afterward and (the virus) they spread?” asked Rep. Forrest Bennett, D-Oklahoma City.

The measure passed on a party-line 80-18 vote and now goes to the Senate. ...

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