January 13, 1999
Legislature
to take up vouchers and guns
___By Ken Camp
___Texas Baptist Communications
___AUSTIN--School vouchers, religious liberty and guns in church will be among the issues drawing Texas Baptists' attention as the 76th Texas Legislature convenes in Austin this week.
___Here's a rundown of what's forthcoming:
___* School vouchers. Prior to the start of the session Jan. 12, several lawmakers announced plans that would allow indirect state funding of private religious schools through tuition vouchers.
___The Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission historically has opposed any public money being channeled to parochial schools. The Baptist General Convention of Texas as recently as its November 1998 meeting in Houston has passed resolutions opposing tuition vouchers for religious schools.
___Vouchers are an assault on the wall of separation between church and state and a drain on the public school system's financial base, said Weston Ware, associate director of the CLC, Texas Baptists' public policy and moral concerns agency.
___"Government control certainly will follow government funds, and religious schools that have the objective of sharing their faith will lose the ability to accomplish their mission," Ware said.
___"Furthermore, vouchers would reduce already scarce public school dollars, resulting in a loss of personnel and resources for the neighborhood schools that educate most of our children."
___* Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The CLC is part of a broad coalition representing more than 50 major faith groups that is working to secure passage of the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act in this legislative session. The need for a state RFRA arose after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the national version of RFRA unconstitutional when applied to state and local governments.
___"This ruling means that state and local governments need have only a general interest, not a compelling interest, to infringe on a citizen's or group of citizens' right to free exercise of religion," said Phil Strickland, CLC director.
___Texas RFRA would restore the higher standard, requiring state and local government entities to show compelling cause
___(See Legislative, page 2)
___(Continued from page 1)
___before limiting any Texan's right to practice his or her faith.
___State RFRA legislation is allowed under the Supreme Court's decision, and six other states already passed such laws in 1997.
___Strickland and other members of the Texas RFRA coalition met with representatives of the governor's office and both House and Senate leadership last Wednesday.
___* Guns in churches. Also during this session, the Texas Legislature is likely to reconsider the legal status of guns in church. A 1997 amendment to the Texas Right to Carry Concealed Weapons Law requires churches wanting to prohibit concealed handguns on their premises to post large signs to that effect.
___"That amendment played a bad joke on churches," Ware said. "Now it's legal to carry a concealed gun into a house of worship unless a church stops it by posting in its foyer an unsightly sign with inch-high letters quoting the exact legal prohibition in both English and Spanish."
___The CLC will encourage lawmakers to remove the requirement that churches post such a sign, restoring the law's original language prohibiting concealed handguns in church facilities.
___* Alcoholic beverages. As required by the Sunset Commission, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission will review its rules during this legislative session. The CLC has joined in calling for measures that give local communities greater power to regulate and restrict private clubs serving alcoholic beverages.
___* Death penalty. At the most recent state convention, BGCT messengers approved a resolution calling for life without parole as a sentencing option for juries. Under existing laws, juries cannot know how long convicted offenders will serve time, and the only sentencing option available for removing murderers from society is the death penalty.
___In light of the execution of Karla Faye Tucker last February and the discussion it generated, the Texas Legislature is likely to take a fresh look at the fairness of existing laws on clemency, exercise of the death penalty, and sentencing alternatives, Ware noted.
___Tucker was a pickax murderer who became a born-again Christian on death row. She was the first Texas woman executed by the state since the Civil War.
___* Abortion. The legislature also is expected to consider legislation requiring a 24-hour waiting period prior to elective abortions and requiring that a parent be notified before an abortion is performed on a minor.
___The BGCT in its annual session in November passed a resolution supporting parental notification.
___* Gambling. Unlike some recent state legislatures when significant gambling-related bills were filed prior to the session's start, none of the more than 500 bills in the House of Representatives or 120 Senate bills filed as of Jan. 5 concerned gambling.
___The Texas CLC and Texans Against Gambling support anticipated legislation that will seek to clean up existing laws prohibiting "8-liner" video gambling machines and make it easier for local authorities to enforce laws banning the casino-style devices.Frontpage / Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!