Senate Judiciary Committee advances Religious Freedom Restoration Act with ‘substantially’ amendment

Representative Josh Washak, the bill sponsor, told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Oct. 27 that House Bill 207 would restore the stricter “compelling interest/least restrictive means” standard for state actions that burden religious exercise. “This law simply takes us back to a standard that was in place in our country for decades of strict scrutiny when it came to governmental interference with religious freedom,” Washak said at the committee hearing.