/Mississippi’s ‘religious freedom’ law drafted out of state

Mississippi’s ‘religious freedom’ law drafted out of state

Matis, the political director of the United Pentecostal Church of Mississippi is one of the most prominent religious officials in the state. He regularly lobbyes for the church in the Mississippi State Capitol. When the decision was made by the high court, Matis had been in Washington on June 26, 2015. He called a series meetings with Pentecostal pastors in the months that followed his return from Mississippi. They were concerned about the possibility of them being charged with trespassing. He gathered polling data to compile a list of legislators who might be interested. He then began lobbying. Matis stated that he didn’t have to convince anyone about the need to protect religious people. Matis said that Matis, the speaker, the lieutenant governor, and the governor all knew Mississippians hold strong religious beliefs and were willing to support them. Matis was one of many Mississippians who believed state legislation should be considered in 2016. As it turned out, the first to move was an outside-of-state religious organization. House Bill 1523 was drafted and approved by Arizona-based Alliance Defending Freedom policymakers and attorneys. This coalition of Christian organizations includes the Tupelo-based American Family Association, Colorado-based Focus on the Family and others. It is not unusual for national organizations, such as think tanks, legal experts and professional associations to create model legislation for Mississippi legislators. Matis stated that if they have experience in other states it is logical to ask these groups for the best provisions that will achieve the legislative purpose. Alliance Defending Freedom states on its website that it works to “defend the right of the people to hear and speak truth through strategy, funding, litigation and training.” A series of interviews with Mississippi politicians, strategists and other ADF members revealed the group’s role in drafting Mississippi’s bill. Mississippi Today reached out to the alliance representatives but they did not respond to numerous requests for comment on the process. Soon after Governor Bryant signed the bill into law, the group sent this statement to Mississippi Today: “Alliance Defending Freedom has been asked to advise many state legislators in Mississippi on the constitutionality of religious liberty, government discrimination and privacy legislation as they work to affirm and uphold citizens’ fundamental freedoms.” The group sent the following statement to Mississippi Today shortly after Gov. Phil Bryant signed it into law: “Alliance Defending Freedom was asked to advise many state legislatures including in Mississippi on the constitutionality religious liberty, government discrepancy and privacy legislation as their work to affirm the fundamental freedoms of citizens’.” Analysts and national attorneys consider Mississippi’s bill to be the most comprehensive response to the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision. Circuit clerks can refuse to distribute marriage certificates based upon religious merit if they have another staff member who is able to fulfill the federal law. Religious organizations and religious foster care agencies are not subject to criminal prosecution if they don’t serve the same-sex couple. It protects doctors and other health care professionals who refuse to provide “treatments or counseling related to sex identity transitioning or sex reassignment” or who decline to participate in the provision or counseling of fertility services. The bill passed through many Mississippi groups and individuals before reaching the House committee table in February. Tim Wildmon, president of AFA, said that the American Family Association, which promotes fundamentalist Christian values in legislation drafting, helped to shape some provisions of the bill. Donald Wildmon, Wildmon’s father and founder of the American Family Association was also instrumental in the creation of the Alliance Defending Freedom, which was established in 1994. The Mississippi Center for Public Policy, a conservative think tank based in Jackson, was a liaison to the national group that drafted a large portion of the bill. Although MCPP was not involved in the creation of the bill, Forest Thigpen, director of the center, said that the group presented the first draft to House Speaker Philip Gunn. Gunn is the principal author on the bill. Thigpen stated that lawmakers approached the Mississippi Center after the bill had been introduced to the legislature. Thigpen explained that the Alliance Defending Freedom asked specific questions of the Mississippi Center. The MCPP relayed to these legislators the answers of the alliance. The legislation was also supported by the United Pentecostal Church of Mississippi under Matis’ direction. Matis stated that the UPC didn’t assist in the drafting, but he claimed it was possible that he was on a conference with Alliance Defending Freedom officials prior to the bill being introduced. UPC members made calls to legislators and citizens for months prior to the 2016 legislative session. This was to provide “grassroots support” on matters. Mississippi is a majorstay on the Pew Research Centre’s list as the most religious state in the country. Legislative sessions often include religious liberty issues. The “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” was a bill passed by the Mississippi Legislature in 2014. This was before same-sex marriage was allowed to be legalized in Mississippi by a federal court. Multiple officials involved in the drafting of the bill said that the 2016 bill was a direct response to 2015’s Supreme Court decision. Gunn stated in a statement to Mississippi Today that “after the Supreme Court decision Obergefell (v. Hodges),” it was clear that there would be a head on collision between religious convictions regarding gay marriage and the legal right to gay marriage. Meg Annison (gunn’s spokeswoman) said that the bill was presented to the speaker after it was drafted and submitted by the Alliance Defending Freedom. The legislation was also drafted by prominent Republican leaders, in addition to Gunn. The bill listed seven state representatives as co-authors, including Rep. Andy Gipson (R-Braxton), who introduced many headline-grabbing bills during this session. Freshman Senator Jenifer Branning (R-Philadelphia), who discussed House Bill1523 on the Senate Floor on March 30 introduced her own similar bill. It was shorter and more specific than the House version. The bill was killed in committee in the early hours of the session. Branning, a Pentecostal, has met many times with Matis, and other Pentecostal ministers, about the legislation. After speaking at the Mississippi Pentecostal camp meeting, Raymond in July 2015 in Raymond, Lt. Governor. Tate Reeves was kept informed about possible legislation. Matis stated that he spoke with Reeves’ staff numerous times between the summer 2015 and January 2016, specifically about the legislation. Matis stated that Reeves assured us that he would do all he could to protect the pastors of Mississippi and ensure that they have a safe environment to follow their religious beliefs. “Both Gunn and Reeves gave us their promise that they would protect us. They both kept their word. They were committed to every conversation that we had. “…I never felt they were pressured to do something.” Thigpen stated that the bill was not written specifically for Mississippi. Instead, the bill was designed as a generic bill that could easily be customized and used by each state. The House committee found errors in the initial drafts of the bill. One section contained the phrase “Commonwealth of …”” in an early draft. A section that made it to the governor’s version, signed by him April 5, lists state officials as magistrates. Mississippi is not a commonwealth, and it does not have magistrates. Thigpen stated that there was a desire by a lot of people to clarify the law in Mississippi. “In response (to the Supreme Court decision), several national organizations met in I assume a series of meetings and created a model bill that would address the issues people would be concerned about and clarify the law at the state level.” Although the bill was mostly written outside of Mississippi, many Mississippians shared the intent and principles. Thigpen stated that the Mississippi Center for Public Policy received information from judges and pastors in Mississippi following the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision on what they could do or couldn’t do within the law realm. Thigpen also stated that he knew Gunn’s office had heard from the same group of people, and even circuit clerks within the state. In interviews on the chamber floor, as well as in media reports, other Republican lawmakers said that they had heard concerns from many constituents regarding the decision of the high court. The hard work was well worth it for those who were involved in the drafting process. Bryant signed the bill April 5th. Bill’s creators already celebrated a victory. Alliance Defending Freedom praised Gunn, Reeves, and all other legislators in blog posts and press releases during the days that led up to the governor signing the bill. The Mississippi Senate passed the House bill on March 30, late at night. This was one of the last steps before the bill became law. Matis and a group Pentecostal ministers watched from the gallery. Matis stated that this was a grassroots effort and was mostly within Mississippi. This was something Mississippians supported. This is a great example of what happens when Mississippians and people with faith get involved at the local level.” To support this work, you can make a recurring gift today to celebrate our Spring Member Drive. We will continue important work such as this one. Our reporters bring a human face to policy’s impact on everyday Mississippians by listening more closely and understanding those who live in Mississippi’s communities. To ensure that our work is aligned with the priorities and needs of Mississippians, we are listening to you. Click the button below to let us know what you think. Republish this Story You can freely republish our articles online or in print under a Creative Commons licence. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Mississippi Today, Adam Ganucheau
May 17, 2016, Adam Ganucheau is Mississippi Today’s editor in chief. He oversees the newsroom with the editorial staff to achieve our mission of producing journalism that is both high-quality and public-interest. Since February 2016, Adam Ganucheau has been covering politics and state government at Mississippi Today. A native of Hazlehurst, Adam has worked as a staff reporter for AL.com, The Birmingham News and The Clarion-Ledger and his work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post and Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Adam received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Mississippi. So. So.
1. This protection is already provided by the First Amendment
2. If it was possible for a state statute to “help the FA” (it is not), MS has already passed a RFRA
3. Even though Loving v. Virginia had lifted bans on interracial marital union FORTY NINE years ago, the Federal courts have not forced any pastor or church to allow an interracial wedding against their religious beliefs. This guy is a political expert and he gets paid a lot. He’s a fear-mongering Pharisee who has made his fortune manipulating the gullible in Tupelo’s Profiteer tradition. Consider this: ADF creates the template legislation…
FRC and AFA apply pressure to politicians owned to pass it…
Even though the legislators knew full well that the bill was going to be DOA in Federal Court…
Bill passed, lawsuits are filed, ADF offers to defend the bill for free
ADF, AFA and FRC start fund raising and soliciting votes to their own politicians because it’s necessary for them to defend the noble law against the heathens…
Bill is killed.