Four so-called religious freedom bills have been filed in the Texas House of Representatives so far this session. They would allow people to discriminate when discrimination is a deeply held religious value of theirs.
Here’s a summary of them from Equality Texas:
• HB 428 by Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford — Providing religious student organizations an exemption from nondiscrimination policies of public institutions of higher education if such policies do not conform to the student organization’s sincerely held religious beliefs. (Note: Because discriminating against people who want to join your student-activity-fee-funded organization is just a good, solid religious value.)
• HB1805 by Rep. Scott Sanford, R-McKinney — Providing child welfare service providers the ability to decline to provide, facilitate or refer a person for child welfare services if it conflicts with the provider’s sincerely held religious beliefs. (Note: No penalty to those child welfare providers for putting the lives of children in jeopardy while they’re refusing to place kids in safe homes of people who happen to be LGBT and passed all state authorizations.)
• HB 1813 by Rep. Dan Flynn, R-Canyon — Allowing county clerks to pass off issuing marriage licenses to other certifying officials if issuing that marriage license conflicts with the clerk’s sincerely held religious beliefs. (Note: Why did they run for an office whose job it is to issue marriage licenses if it’s against their religious belief to issue those licenses?)
• HB 1923 by Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth — Providing individuals and businesses the ability to decline to provide services to anyone if providing the service conflicts with the individual’s or business’ sincerely held religious beliefs about marriage. (Note: Because what business doesn’t have sincerely held religious beliefs?)