House Majority Whip Steve Scalise endorses Sen. Mike Lee’s “First Amendment Defense Act,” which would protect people opposed to gay marriage from being penalized by the government.
Reports Bloomberg:
In statement his office provided Wednesday to Bloomberg News on his decision to co-sponsor the bill, Scalise alluded to the high court’s decision.
“Religious freedom is a fundamental right established in the Constitution. Especially in the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent judicial activism, defending religious liberty has become an even more pressing priority,” said Scalise.
Scalise added the First Amendment Defense Act “helps ensure that Americans are not punished or discriminated against for exercising their constitutionally-protected religious beliefs.”
The measure, introduced in the House on June 17, nine days before the Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage, has been referred to the committees on Ways and Means and Oversight and Government Reform. It is unclear if the bill has any chance to advance. But Scalise’s co-sponsorship gives it an imprint of some House Republican leadership backing.
