ST. PAUL – State Rep. Jeff Dotseth, R-Silver Township, said House Republicans took 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 Republican legislation, amending the Minnesota Human Rights Act to re-establish protections for religious entities against discrimination claims. The bill (H.F. 4109) unanimously passed the Senate earlier in the day and, with the House also providing unopposed approval, it is now on Gov. Tim Walz’s desk for enactment.
“What a great day for religious freedom in Minnesota,” Dotseth said. “It took a while to resolve this issue but, in the end, legislators came together to do the right thing for the people of our state and that’s the most important thing. This puts an end to the notion created last year that our state’s position trumps your religious beliefs.”
Dotseth said 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.
Dotseth said he is confident the courts ultimately would have ruled the change Democrats made last year unconstitutional. He also indicated he’s glad it didn’t get that far.
“We’ve seen the damage reckless legislating can cause and it’s good we nipped this one in the bud before it became a major court case where, regardless of the verdict, there truly are no winners,” Dotseth said. “I can’t say ‘thank you’ enough to the members of our faith community who worked to find a bipartisan solution and the fact this legislation was approved without opposition says a lot. I’m grateful for this just outcome.”
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