An Oklahoma senate panel approved a bill Monday to prevent city and county governments from outdoing state laws on employment and public accommodations.
The bill initially prevented local governments from going further than any state law. A committee substitute focused it on employment and public accommodations laws.
Senate Bill 694 author Sen. Joshua Brecheen sparred with Sen. Kay Floyd over the need to preemptively protect business owners' expression of sincerely held religious beliefs through refusing service to LGBTQ people.
"That's what some are asking for, is the ability to object to something but do it in a loving manner and it not be categorized as discrimination with the context of all that word conjures," Brecheen said.
"Does the senator recognize that's exactly the argument that was raised in the Civil Rights movement 50 years ago?" Floyd said.
"I wasn't alive during that argument," Brecheen said.
Brecheen said some small business owners want to be able to act on their religious beliefs without potentially facing a lawsuit. Floyd asked how many Oklahoma businesses have been sued.
"Tulsa is the first city that I'm aware of that has gone down this path toward public accommodations," Brecheen said. "It is already the case in five states that I've named, in Texas."
"Senator, I hate to interrupt, but I really am just concerned about what's going on in our state," Floyd said.
Sexual orientation and gender identity were added as protected classes to Tulsa's fair housing ordinance in 2015, which has not resulted in any lawsuits to date.
Brecheen's Senate bio notes he wants to promote local control. Sen. Stephanie Bice said she doesn’t see that in the bill.
"Our communities are electing council members and mayors to represent them and their needs, and so for this to be a blanket statement, I think, is concerning to me," Bice said.
Oklahomans for Equality Executive Director Toby Jenkins responded to SB694's advancement in a statement.
"Local municipal and county leaders across the state are working to create inclusive and welcoming cities and counties, because state senators and representatives refuse to make it unlawful to discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people," Jenkins said.
Brecheen said besides protecting religious freedom, he wants to prevent confusion caused by differences in state and local laws.
The bill passed out of the Committee on General Government 6–4.
