[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 13, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E299]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA HOME RULE NON-DISCRIMINATION 
                              ACT OF 2018

                                  _____
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 13, 2018

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the District of Columbia 
Home Rule Non-Discrimination Act of 2018 to end the unique 
applicability of the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 
(RFRA) to the District of Columbia. My bill will protect the District's 
right to self-government, as well as LGBTQ and reproductive rights in 
D.C.
  RFRA, which provides more protection for religious exercise than the 
First Amendment, applies to the federal government, the D.C. government 
and the territorial governments, but not to state governments. As RFRA 
does not apply to the states, under the principles of home rule, it 
should likewise not apply to the District.
  While RFRA was designed to be a shield to protect religious freedom, 
it is being used, as evidenced by the Supreme Court's 2014 Hobby Lobby 
decision, as a sword to discriminate against the LGBTQ community and 
women. Members of Congress have used RFRA as a justification for trying 
to overturn D.C. antidiscrimination laws. Republicans have voted three 
times since 2015 to nullify or block the District's Reproductive Health 
Non-Discrimination Act (RHNDA), which prohibits employers from 
discriminating against employees and their families based on 
reproductive health decisions, claiming, in part, that it violates 
RFRA. However, it appears that no one has challenged RHNDA's legality 
under RFRA in court.
  My bill ensures that District residents are treated the same as 
residents of the states under RFRA. I strongly urge my colleagues to 
support this legislation.

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