[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 81 (Wednesday, May 15, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H3827]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       ENSURING RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

  (Mr. LIPINSKI asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LIPINSKI. Madam Speaker, all Americans deserve equal treatment 
under the law and should have these rights protected, including 
individuals in the LGBT community.
  They should be able to compete equally for jobs, be assured equal 
opportunity in education, housing, financial, and judicial settings.
  At the same time, the free exercise of religious beliefs is a core 
ideal of our country, protected in the Constitution and through Federal 
law.
  The Equality Act explicitly prevents application of the Religious 
Freedom Restoration Act, RFRA. This law was passed nearly unanimously 
in 1993 by a Democratic House, Senate, and White House.
  Congress has never passed a law that shrinks or exempts itself from 
RFRA. It is critical to ensuring that religious freedom stands a chance 
of being fully lived out and fairly treated in court.
  This week, I will vote for the Equality Act for the broader goals. 
But before it becomes law, we must do more to ensure religious liberty.

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