Miss. lawmakers feel pressure over religion bill [View all]
Source: Associated Press
Miss. lawmakers feel pressure over religion bill
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS, Associated Press | March 7, 2014 | Updated: March 7, 2014 6:37pm
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Lawmakers in conservative Mississippi find themselves in a tug-of-war over a religious-practices bill that some say is uncomfortably similar to one recently vetoed by Arizona's Republican governor.
A group that lobbies for the state's influential Southern Baptist Convention is urging lawmakers to pass the Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Others say that Mississippi, with its history of racial oppression, should avoid any law that could lead to discrimination against gay people and other groups.
Similar religious-freedom bills were filed this year in several states, including Oklahoma, South Dakota and Tennessee. A bill was withdrawn in Ohio, and similar measures stalled in Idaho and Kansas. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed a bill after critics said it would hurt the state's image by allowing businesses to discriminate against gay people.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Miss-lawmakers-feel-pressure-over-religion-bill-5298555.php
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