Posted on 09/19/2020 5:39:44 PM PDT by marshmallow
House approves, on way to Senate
HARRISBURG, Pa. (ChurchMilitant.com) - The Pennsylvania House is sending a bill to the state Senate after a large majority voted to ban governors from using disease-control powers to shut down churches and houses of worship.
In a 149–53 vote, all House Republicans and nearly half of the House Democrats passed a bill on Tuesday to amend the state's Religious Freedom Protection Act, stopping governors from using disaster response and disease prevention powers to forbid assembling for worship. The House's approval of the bill comes one day after a federal judge ruled Wuhan virus lockdown orders in Pennsylvania unconstitutional.
State representative Clint Owlett, R-Tioga, explained the bill addresses an issue raised during the pandemic.
"Now is our chance to fix some of those issues, and if not religious freedom, where's the line?" Owlett asked. "Where do we stop with government intrusion into our lives?"
"There's never been a closure and there won't be," said Minority Leader Frank Dermody, D-Allegheny, during a floor debate.
"Is now the time to lock up churches?" asked House Speaker Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster. "Is now the time to not allow people to assemble? No, I believe that now is the time to lift our neighbors in need."
Unconstitutional Lockdown
While Pennsylvania's Democratic governor Tom Wolf discouraged religious gatherings, his administration never outright forbade them. Wolf's stay-at-home orders included forcing "non-life-sustaining" businesses to close. The Trump-appointed federal judge on Monday ruled the orders unconstitutional.
(Excerpt) Read more at churchmilitant.com ...
Hang on....we’re in for a ride.
Good for them!
I hope more states follow suit.
No one person, be it mayor, governor, JUDGE, whomever, should have that kind of unbridled power to control the lives of millions of people. It flies in the face of a representative government of the people, for the people, and by the people.
Now they need to pass a bill on mail in ballots.
Bump
Get busy and overturn the court ruling on voting late. You can do it according to several articles without the signature of the Governor!!!
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