ST. PAUL – State Rep. Isaac Schultz, R- Emdale Township, said Republicans have taken a major step toward restoring religious freedom which Minnesota Democrats stripped from faith-based organizations last year.
The House on Tuesday approved a variation of legislation that Rep. Harry Niska, R- Ramsey, authored, amending the Minnesota Human Rights Act to re-establish protections for religious entities against discrimination claims. The bill unanimously passed the Senate earlier in the day and, with the House also providing overwhelming approval, it now is on Gov. Tim Walz’s desk for enactment.
“It’s a great day for religious freedom in Minnesota. Freedom of religion is a staple of our American constitution, and I thank all the religious groups and faith-based communities who continued to fight and show support for legislators.” Schultz said. “This never should’ve been an issue, and there needs to be recognition that without signing this bill, Minnesota would infringe on individual rights and individual religious liberty. I would implore Gov. Walz to follow through and sign this bill to protect our First Amendment rights.”
This move was necessary due to HRA legislation Democrats enacted in 2023, stripping religious protections that had been in place since 1993. Before last year, when gender identity was included (or subsumed) within the MHRA definition of sexual orientation, the still-existing religious exemption for sexual orientation covered gender identity claims as well. When a new, separate definition of gender identity was created last year, there was no corresponding religious exemption added.