Monthly Archives: March 2013

Kentucky House, Senate Vote to Override Veto of HB 279

By admin | Published: March 26, 2013

Tonight, the Kentucky House voted 79-14  and Senate voted 32-6  to override Gov. Steve Beshear’s veto of the Religious Freedom Bill (HB 279). The bill is now law. The text of the law: Government shall not substantially burden a person’s freedom of religion. The right to act or refuse to act in a manner motivated […]

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Steve Weaver: Baptists and Religious Liberty: A Call for Action

By admin | Published: March 25, 2013

Steve Weaver, church historian and pastor of Farmdale Baptist Church in Frankfort, recently posted the following on his blog: Baptists have historically defended the principle of religious liberty. Since Baptists have always believed in churches made up only of professing, baptized believers, they have always rejected the idea of a state church union which results […]

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Gov. Beshear Vetoes Religious Freedom Bill (HB 279): What’s Next?

By admin | Published: March 22, 2013

Despite strong support in both the House and Senate, Gov. Steve Beshear has vetoed the Religious Freedom Bill (HB 279). Since the bill’s passage by the General Assembly, the American Civil Liberties Union and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) opponents of the bill have been urging Gov. Beshear to veto the bill, alleging that […]

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Sunrise Children’s Services: Americans United Release on Settlement Premature, Inaccurate

By admin | Published: March 21, 2013

According to a recent story in the Courier-Journal, the commonwealth of Kentucky is nearing a settlement in a lawsuit alleging that taxpayer dollars were being used by Sunrise Children’s Services to proselytize children. Among the terms of the settlement is a provision singling out Sunrise Children’s Services, stating that “the commonwealth must provide documentation on […]

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ACLU: “Churchgoers will use HB 279 to get out of parking tickets.”

By admin | Published: March 14, 2013

According to an article which appears on the Lexington Herald-Leader website, opponents of the Religious Freedom Act (HB 279) are putting forth a variety of arguments in attempt to derail the legislation, which has already cleared the House and Senate and now awaits Gov. Steve Beshear’s signature.  Among the more outlandish arguments: Derek Selznick of […]

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Catholic Conference of Kentucky Makes Strong Arguments in Favor of the Religious Freedom Bill (HB 279)

By admin | Published: March 14, 2013

In their March 12 letter to Gov. Steve Beshear urging him to sign the Religious Freedom Bill (HB 279) into law, the leaders of the Catholic Conference of Kentucky put forth several strong arguments in support of the bill. Their first point is that the “strict scrutiny” standard is not new, and has been the […]

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Is the Religious Freedom Bill in Danger of Being Vetoed by Gov. Beshear?

By admin | Published: March 12, 2013

House Bill 279 sailed through both the Kentucky House and Senate this session, but now may be in danger of being vetoed by Governor Steve Beshear. Dr. Paul Chitwood, executive director-treasurer of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, wrote a letter to Gov. Beshear this week urging him to sign the bill and protect religious liberty in […]

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Update on Alcohol-Related Issues

By admin | Published: March 1, 2013

Are you concerned about the expansion of alcohol sales in Kentucky?  Check out this update from Don Cole, Executive Director of the Kentucky League on Alcohol and Gambling: SB 13 has been passed by the Senate. It is now in the House and will possibly come up for a vote on Friday. If the House […]

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New Organization Launching to Fight Predatory Gambling

By admin | Published: March 1, 2013

A new organization aimed at opposing the expansion of gambling in Kentucky is launching next week. Stop Predatory Gambling will host a launch event on Wednesday, March 6 at 11:30 a.m. in the Capitol Rotunda.  All supporters, lawmakers and media are invited to attend. Joy Bolton, Executive Director-Treasurer of the Kentucky Woman’s Missionary Union, is […]

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Religious Freedom Act Passes the House, Headed to the Senate

By admin | Published: March 1, 2013

The Religious Freedom Act (HB 279) passed the House this morning and is now headed to the Senate. If it passes the Senate, the act will restore the “compelling interest/least restrictive means” as a legal test the government must pass before restricting religious freedom, bringing Kentucky in line with federal judicial standards. Currently, Kentucky courts […]

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