West Virginia GOP majority House OKs religious freedom bill

By LEAH WILLINGHAM
Associated Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia’s GOP supermajority House of Delegates has passed a bill that would create a test for courts to apply when people challenge government regulations they believe interfere with their religious freedom. The bill passed after several Democrats expressed concern that the proposal could be used as a tool to discriminate against LGBTQ people and other marginalized groups. Democrats also expressed worry that it if could be used to overturn West Virginia’s vaccine requirements, which are some of the strictest in the nation. The bill stipulates that the government would not be able to “substantially burden” someone’s constitutional right to freedom of religion unless doing so “in a particular situation is essential to further a compelling governmental interest.”