Bill Text: TX HJR55 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Proposing a constitutional amendment relating to a person's free exercise of religion.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-03-03 - Referred to State Affairs [HJR55 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HJR55-Introduced.html
| 84R340 SCL-F | ||
| By: Villalba | H.J.R. No. 55 | |
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| proposing a constitutional amendment relating to a person's free | ||
| exercise of religion. | ||
| BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Section 6, Article I, Texas Constitution, is | ||
| amended to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 6. (a) All men have a natural and indefeasible right | ||
| to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own | ||
| consciences. No man shall be compelled to attend, erect or support | ||
| any place of worship, or to maintain any ministry against his | ||
| consent. No human authority ought, in any case whatever, to control | ||
| or interfere with the rights of conscience in matters of religion, | ||
| and no preference shall ever be given by law to any religious | ||
| society or mode of worship. | ||
| (b) The state or a county, municipality, or other political | ||
| subdivision of the state, including a department, agency, or | ||
| instrumentality of the state or of a political subdivision of the | ||
| state, may not burden in any way a person's free exercise of | ||
| religion unless the burden is: | ||
| (1) necessary to further a compelling governmental | ||
| interest; and | ||
| (2) the least restrictive means of furthering that | ||
| interest. | ||
| (c) A homeowners' association may not burden in any way a | ||
| person's free exercise of religion unless the burden is: | ||
| (1) necessary to further a compelling | ||
| quasi-governmental interest of the homeowners' association; and | ||
| (2) the least restrictive means of furthering that | ||
| interest. | ||
| (d) But it shall be the duty of the Legislature to pass such | ||
| laws as may be necessary to protect equally every religious | ||
| denomination in the peaceable enjoyment of its own mode of public | ||
| worship. | ||
| SECTION 2. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be | ||
| submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 3, 2015. | ||
| The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the | ||
| proposition: "The constitutional amendment relating to a person's | ||
| free exercise of religion." | ||
