On the recordFebruary 25, 2021
I will read from the bill, page 25 of their legislation. The previous speaker, Madam Speaker, is just flat-out wrong. Here is what it says: The Religious Freedom Restoration Act shall not--shall not--provide a claim or a defense to a claim under the legislation or provide a basis for challenging the application of this bill. They put it in the bill. You can't use the standards set forth in RFRA that was passed. You can't even use that as a defense. It is spelled out in the legislation. As my colleague from Louisiana said, the very first right mentioned in the very first amendment to the Constitution, in the very first amendment of the Bill of Rights, is your right to practice your faith the way you see fit. And they put in their legislation: No, you can't. No, you can't. That is what is in the bill. That is why they didn't want a hearing, as previous speakers said, because they didn't want us to be able to talk about this in a hearing where you have testimony, witnesses. They didn't want that. They come to the floor, and as my colleague from Texas said, give this a fancy name while they are taking away American citizens' most fundamental liberty, the liberty the Founders chose to mention the very first right in the Bill of Rights. That is why we oppose this legislation. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Biggs).
