On Wednesday October 21, Florida House Representative Julio Gonzalez (R-Venice) introduced House Bill 401, Titled “Protection of Religious Freedom”, which amends the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) of 1998.
A summary of the bill reads,“Provides immunity from liability for health care facility, health care provider, person, closely held organization, religious institution, business owned or operated by religious institution, or private child-placing agency that refuses to perform certain actions that would be contrary to religious or moral convictions or policies. “In an interview with HT Politics, Gonzalez stated. “This is not about discriminating. This is making sure the state stops, at a narrowly crafted level, from intruding into somebody’s liberties.”Gonzalez continued, “There have been various situations where there are increasing possibilities of subsections of society having their religious freedoms encroached on,” Gonzalez said. “Over time it became obvious to me we need to adopt some statutory protections.” While HB 401 does not specifically target individuals based on sexual orientation, it is largely considered to be a reaction to the changes in society as gay marriage and gay adoption have become legal in Florida and around the country.
Many LGBT groups, secular humanist groups, a leading womens’ magazine and other liberal organizations have slammed the House bill, labeling it a mean spirited and discriminatory bill that targets women and gays. The American Bridge PAC, a progressive news and research organization that claims to holding Republicans accountable for their words and actions, has even brought Florida Senator and candidate for the GOP Presidential Nominee Marco Rubio (R) into the fray by attempting to cast Rubio’s friendship and support with Gonzalez in a very negative and suspicious light.
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Citing a $1350.00 donation by Rubio to Gonzalez 2014 election bid, and Gonzalez’s service on a Host committee for a Rubio fundraiser, the group attempts to paint Gonzalez’s and by association, Rubio’s views as extreme right-wing positions, including bigoted and discriminatory religious freedom laws, calling HB401 “malicious”.
HB401 was just filed last Wednesday and shows no activity since, indicating a long road ahead for what promises to be a controversial bill.
