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Oklahoma House Republicans passed a bill on Wednesday to prohibit any government entity from closing churches during an emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic.
House Bill 2648 would deem such orders a substantial burden on religion, an attempt to render them unconstitutional. Courts have tied the term to forcing someone to violate their religious beliefs. The bill says that finding would apply even if an order applies to non-religious establishments.
Rep. Andy Fugate (D-Del City) said not being able to meet in-person during a pandemic doesn t constitute a substantial burden. This is a reaction to a poor judgment of a governor who chose to close churches and keep liquor stores open. The fix for that, my friends is not changing statute. It’s changing a governor, Fugate said.