The legislation would prohibit the government from infringing on a person’s freedom of religion, unless the government can illustrate a strong case for its interest and can show that the proposed measure is the least restrictive way to pursue the interest set forth by the government.

Proponents of the legislation argue that, as administrations come and go, the amendment would guard the people of Arkansas from undue intrusion of their religious freedoms, while its opponents argue that the amendment is redundant and waters down existing protections under the First Amendment.

As the debate surrounding religious freedom and related items in the United States continues, state legislators like the ones in Arkansas are taking proactive steps to guard the individual liberties of their citizens.

Rep. Mary Bentley, a Republican from Perryville, offered her support for the amendment and said it was stronger than the Arkansas Religious Freedom Restoration Act. “We have executive branches come and executive branches go, and I don’t want an executive branch that changes our law,” she said. “Governors have really done things to infringe on people’s religious freedoms, and I don’t want that to happen in the future.”

Source: persecution.org