Dear Editor,

On Thursday, April 2, I cast a vote in the Indiana House defending the Religious Freedom Restoration Act against changes designed to weaken it.

I was pleased to support the RFRA as a co-sponsor when it came through the House two weeks ago. Simply stated, the RFRA instructs courts they must consider a person’s deeply held religious beliefs in their decision making process.

RFRA does not discriminate. As a matter of fact, RFRA was designed to protect Hoosiers from discrimination toward them as a result of their religious beliefs. Indiana’s RFRA language was based on similar statutes passed by the federal government and 19 other states.

Indiana legislators considered testimony from both sides in committee hearings in the Senate and the House. Wide majorities in both chambers passed RFRA, and Governor Pence signed it into law.

At this point, a concerted and vicious effort began to paint all of Indiana, and particularly state officials, as being bigoted because of RFRA passage, when this is not the case. These attacks against Hoosiers are misguided.

The past two decades have not resulted in RFRA statues being used to allow bigotry. Rather, RFRA statues have given courts guidance that they must give consideration to a person’s religious views when they decide certain cases.

My reasons for supporting RFRA have not changed since I agreed to become a co-sponsor of the original measure in the House. I stand by my original vote in favor of RFRA, and yesterday I voted against weakening it.

Curt Nisly
State Representative