Do not allow people to walk all over you just because you are a godly person. Understand when the time has come to stand up and in a godly way push back against the tide of society.
DEPOSITORY – JUSTICE DEPT. LIBRARY
PUBLIC LAW 103-141—NOV. 16, 1993
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM RESTORATION ACT
OF 1993
DEPT. OF JUSTICE
MAR18,1994
MAIN LIBRARY
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107 STAT. 1488 PUBLIC LAW 103-141—NOV. 16, 1993
Public Law 103-141
103d Congress
An Act
Nov. 16, 1993 To protect the free exercise of religion.
[H.R. 1308]
Religious Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
Freedom the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Restoration Act
of1993. SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
42 USC 2000bb
note. This Act may be cited as the "Religious Freedom Restoration
Act of 1993".
42 USC 2000bb. SEC.2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF PURPOSES.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that—
(1) the framers of the Constitution, recognizing free exercise
of religion as an unalienable right, secured its protection in
the First Amendment to the Constitution;
(2) laws "neutral" toward religion may burden religious
exercise as surely as laws intended to interfere with religious
exercise;
(3) governments should not substantially burden religious
exercise without compelling justification;
(4) in Employment Division v. Smith, 494 U.S. 872 (1990)
the Supreme Court virtually eliminated the requirement that
the government justify burdens on religious exercise imposed
by laws neutral toward religion; and
(5) the compelling interest test as set forth in prior Federal
court rulings is a workable test for striking sensible balances
between religious liberty and competing prior governmental
interests.
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are—
(1) to restore the compelling interest test as set forth in
Sherbert v. Verner, 374 U.S. 398 (1963) and Wisconsin v.
Yoder, 406 U.S. 205 (1972) and to guarantee its application
in all cases where free exercise of religion is substantially
burdened; and
(2) to provide a claim or defense to persons whose religious
exercise is substantially burdened by government.
42 USC SEC. 3. FREE EXERCISE OF RELIGIONPROTECTED.
2000bb-l
(a) IN GENERAL.—Government shall not substantially burden
a person’s exercise of religion even if the burden results from
a rule of general applicability, except as provided in subsection
(b).
(b) EXCEPTION.—Government may substantially burden a person’s
exercise of religion only if it demonstrates that application
of the burden to the person—
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PUBLIC LAW 103-141—NOV. 16, 1993 107 STAT. 1489
(1) is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest;
and
(2) is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling
governmental interest.
(c) JUDICIAL RELIEF.—A person whose religious exercise has
been burdened in violation of this section may assert that violation
as a claim or defense in a judicial proceeding and obtain appropriate
relief against a government. Standing to assert a claim or defense
under this section shall be governed by the general rules of standing
under article III of the Constitution.
SEC. 4. ATTORNEYSFEES.
(a) JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS.—Section 722 of the Revised Statutes
(42 U.S.C. 1988) is amended by inserting "the Religious Freedom
Restoration Act of 1993," before "or title VI of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964".
(b) ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDINGS.—Section 504(b)(1)(C) of title
5, United States Code, is amended—
(1) by striking "and" at the end of clause (ii);
(2) by striking the semicolon at the end of clause (iii)
and inserting ", and"; and
(3) by inserting "(iv) the Religious Freedom Restoration
Act of 1993;" after clause (iii).
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 42 USC
As used in this Act— 2000bb-2.
(1) the term "government" includes a branch, department,
agency, instrumentality, and official (or other person acting
under color of law) of the United States, a State, or a subdivision
of a State;
(2) the term "State" includes the District of Columbia,
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and each territory and
possession of the United States;
(3) the term "demonstrates" means meets the burdens of
going forward with the evidence and of persuasion; and
(4) the term "exercise of religion means the exercise of
religion under the First Amendment to the Constitution.
SEC. 6. APPLICABILITY. 42 USC
2000bb-3. (a) IN GENERAL.—This Act applies to all Federal and State
law, and the implementation of that law, whether statutory or
otherwise, and whether adopted before or after the enactment of
this Act.
(b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Federal statutory law adopted
after the date of the enactment of this Act is subject to this Act
unless such law explicitly excludes such application by reference
to this Act.
(c) RELIGIOUS BELIEF UNAFFECTED.—Nothing in this Act shall
be construed to authorize any government to burden any religious
belief.
SEC. 7. ESTABLISHMENTCLAUSE UNAFFECTED. 42USC
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect, interpret, 2000bb-4.
or in any way address that portion of the First Amendment prohibiting
laws respecting the establishment of religion (referred to in
this section as the "Establishment Clause"). Granting government
funding, benefits, or exemptions, to the extent permissible under
the Establishment Clause, shall not constitute a violation of this
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107 STAT. 1490 PUBLIC LAW 103-141—NOV. 16, 1993
Act. As used in this section, the term "granting", used with respect
to government funding, benefits, or exemptions, does not include
the denial of government funding, benefits, or exemptions.
Approved November 16, 1993.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 1308 (S. 578):
HOUSE REPORTS: No. 103-88 (Comm. on the Judiciary).
SENATE REPORTS: No. 103-111 accompanying S. 578 (Comm. on the Judiciary).
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 139 (1993):
May 11, considered and passed House.
Oct. 26, 27, S. 578 considered in Senate; H.R. 1308, amended, passed in lieu.
Nov. 3, House concurred in Senate amendment.
WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS, Vol. 29 (1993):
Nov. 16, Presidential remarks.
21 states have a version of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act enacted by their legislature:
Alabama (state constitution amendment)
Arizona
Arkansas
Connecticut
Florida
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Mississippi
Missouri
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
States with RFRA-like provisions – provided by state court decisions—rather than via legislation:
Alaska
Hawaii
Ohio
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Montana
North Carolina
Washington
Wisconsin
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.