On the recordSeptember 28, 1998
I have a slightly different perspective than many here because my family once was Amish. My great-great-grandfather, great grandfather was one of the first Amish settlers in Northeastern Indiana. My family left the Amish faith around the turn of the century, but I still have many friends and many family members who are in the Amish faith around the small town that I grew up in and where our family business is located. They are not a people who are looking for trouble. They are looking for a place where they can be left alone, and they will go to the jungles of Brazil, if that is necessary. The question is, in the United States of America anymore, are we going to allow people to practice their religious freedom and to practice their faith the way they choose? We are not asking that we put safety at risk. The bill explicitly says that the individual cannot operate or assist in the operation of power-driven woodworking machines.
Source
govinfo.gov
