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GA HB837
Bill
Status
Introduced
1/25/2016
Primary Sponsor
Ed Setzler
Click for details
AI Summary
- Adds Chapter 15A to Title 50 of the Georgia Code, incorporating the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act standards (42 U.S.C. § 2000bb-1) as they existed on January 1, 2016, applying them to all state and local government entities
- Allows aggrieved persons to seek declaratory judgments or injunctive relief against government entities that substantially burden the free exercise of religion
- Waives sovereign immunity for claims seeking declaratory judgment, injunctive relief, or reasonable attorney's fees against the state or political subdivisions, but expressly does not waive immunity for monetary damages or litigation expenses
- Excludes from coverage penological rules reasonably related to safety, security, and good order in penal institutions, and does not create employee rights against non-government employers
- Defines "exercise of religion" broadly to include any religious practice whether or not compelled by or central to a belief system, including the use, building, or conversion of real property for religious purposes
Legislative Description
"Religious Freedom Restoration Act"; enact
Last Action
House Second Readers
1/27/2016
Full Bill Text
No bill text available