From the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle:
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday approved a bill that would extend the state's anti-discrimination protections to cover sexual orientation and gender identity.
The committee had taken testimony on the bill, SF 115, on Monday, but ran out of time to actually work the bill.
On Tuesday, the committee's main argument revolved around whether to expand the bill's religious exemptions beyond churches and other organizations whose duties are primarily ministerial.
Sen. Dave Kinskey, R-Sheridan, had proposed an amendment that would expand those exemptions to charities, religious-based hospitals, nonprofits and for-profit businesses. Kinskey said his amendment was designed to sync up with recent Supreme Court decisions related to businesses such as Hobby Lobby, which was able to get an exemption from providing birth control coverage to its employees based on religious objections.
The amendment failed by a 3-2 vote. Sen. Larry Hicks supported with Kinskey. Kinskey ended up voting for the bill anyway, along with the three others who rejected the amendment. He wants to reintroduce it on the Senate floor. Some parts of it may be reasonable, but obviously, we cannot allow that it applies to for-profit businesses.
P.S. I haven't written anything recently because I was away for the last two weeks of January, and I just started a new school year, so I've been pretty busy.