The State House has approved a "Religious Freedom Restoration Act". It now goes to the state Senate. Despite criticism from opponents, House Speaker Jase Bolger (R-Marshall) says the bill is not, in his words, "a license to discriminate."
The proposal has been tied to other bills that would expand Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to include protections for people who are gay, lesbian, or transgender. But that issue remains stalled in a House committee and appears dead for this legislative session.
But the Gongwer News Service says Bolger and other supporters decided to move ahead with the religious freedom measure anyway.
Opponents, including the American Civil Liberties Union, say it would let people ignore state laws they don't like by claiming a religious exemption.
