Religious Freedom Shouldn’t Mean Freedom to Harm

I strongly oppose HB2760 (Pouche), the so-called PRAISE Act, because it places religious institutions above public health and safety. This bill creates a dangerous, unequal system where a church, mosque, synagogue, or temple can ignore emergency restrictions that apply to everyone else. During a pandemic, for example, a religious gathering could continue spreading disease while a concert, a sports event, or a labor union meeting would be shut down. That is not equal protection. That is state-sponsored favoritism. The bill says if any entity is exempt, religious places of worship must also be exempt. But that logic works in reverse. The state should not create special exemptions for any group unless absolutely necessary. And the state certainly should not force local health officials to treat religious services as automatically safer than any other indoor gathering. Science does not care whether a crowd is praying or cheering. Viruses spread the same way. This bill also invites endless litigation. Any religious group that feels inconvenienced by an emergency order can sue for damages, including punitive damages if they claim malice or recklessness. That will intimidate local governments from acting quickly to save lives. Emergency managers will hesitate to issue evacuation orders or limit gatherings, afraid of expensive lawsuits. Public safety should not be held hostage by legal threats. The exception for imminent dangers like floods or tornadoes is narrow. It does not cover slower moving emergencies like a pandemic, a heat wave, or an air pollution crisis. Even then, the bill says once the imminent danger passes, religious services must resume immediately. That ignores recovery time, continued risk, and the need for uniform safety standards. Religious freedom is vital, but it does not give anyone the right to endanger their neighbors. A progressive vision for emergencies puts everyone first, not one favored institution. We protect communities by applying the same rules to all. This bill does the opposite. I urge a no vote.