On Tuesday, May 7, after weeks of negotiations, Senate Republicans amended the 2024 Minnesota Human Rights bill with language that reinstates religious liberty protections that were removed by the Senate Democrats last year.

“With the passage of this legislation and amendment, we are safeguarding the autonomy of our religious institutions,” Senator Gary Dahms (R ‒ Redwood Falls) said. “This clarification to our Human Rights Act ensures our religious organizations will not face unexpected and costly claims of discrimination, so they can live out their faiths.”

The bill reinstates the protections for religious organizations that every Minnesotan deserves and expects to have. At least 15 religious communities and organizations—Catholics, Muslims, Jews, Evangelical Christians, and others—expressed their support for the restoration of the religious exemptions. Passing this amendment and the bill secures in law both a fundamental and a foundational right every American is afforded under the Constitution.

The statutory exemption, contained in the amendment, puts the statutory framework with religious exemptions in the Human Rights Act back in line with the U.S. and Minnesota Constitutions. It outlines a broad array of activities by faith organizations that are exempt from claims of discrimination.

Both the amendment and the final bill passed the Senate with unanimous support. The House also passed the bill. It now awaits action by the governor.

Senator Dahms is in his fifth term representing Senate District 15 which includes communities in Blue Earth, Brown, Chippewa, Lac qui Parle, Lyon, Redwood, and Yellow Medicine counties. He also serves as the Republican Lead on the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee and is a member of the Agriculture, Broadband, and Rural Development Committee and Finance Committee.