House Bill 597, otherwise known as the Pastor Protection Act, passed the Louisiana House in April by an 80-18 vote in April. But it was put to an end on Tuesday due to immense Democratic opposition in Louisiana’s Senate Judiciary B Committee.
Sponsored by State Rep. Mike Johnson (R), the bill would have protected clergymen’s religious right to deny performing a same-sex wedding. Via the bill:
A religious organization, an organization supervised or controlled by or in connection with a religious organization, an individual employed by a religious organization while acting in the scope of that employment, or a clergy or minister may not be required to solemnize any marriage or provide services, accommodations, facilities, goods, or privileges for a purpose related to the solemnization, formation, or celebration of any marriage if the action would cause the organization or individual to violate a sincerely held religious belief.
Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, told The Advocate that the bill was unnecessary because of the state’s existing Preservation of Religious Freedom Act, passed in 2010. But surprisingly, he added he would veto the bill if it was presented to him with little to no changes.
Similar rhetoric to that of the Gov. Edwards was shared on a Louisiana Senate committee floor. Democrats were unsure of the necessity of the bill, and were uneasy about the potential messages it would send to businesses and tourists. Ironically, Johnson had made the following statement just last month about the bill:
“This legislation has nothing to do with business, industry or tourism, so it hasn’t seen that opposition you’ve seen elsewhere.”
Matthew Patterson, a member of Equality Louisiana, said about the bill, “It’s Louisiana saying, we understand you are here but we don’t like you."