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Lawmakers are calling on House Leaders to protect Oklahoma citizens’ religious liberties and stop the double talking and slow playing of HB 2811.
HB 2811 protects first amendment and religious freedom by allowing Oklahomans to opt out of enrollment into a global system of identification that directly links their body using biometrics to their ability to buy, sell and travel.
Rep. Sally Kern originally authored The Biometric and Social Security Number Religious Exemption Act which supports citizens 1st, 4th, and 5th Amendment rights; to be secure in their persons, presumed innocent, and protection of religious liberty. Rep. Kern’s original bill was HB 2943.
“I worked for five weeks with DPS and DHS to fashion a bill that met all of their objections”, said Kern. “We came up with such a bill only to run into a roadblock from Republican leaders. For reasons that they will not share with us, Speaker Benge and Rep. Terrill have blocked HB 2811 from coming to the floor for a vote. Evidently, there is something they value more than our religious freedom.”
Hundreds of pastors and thousands and thousands of citizens have demanded that their religious rights be protected from a global enrollment system by passing House Bill 2811.
Rep. Charles Key agreed to incorporate the language of HB2943 into HB2811, a bill authored by Rep. Key. Senator Randy Brogdon is the Senate author.
Although the fiscal cost was minimal Kern, Key, and Brogdon worked with DPS and DHS regarding any costs associated with the bill. DPS said they supported the right of the people to make the choice about being able to opt out of providing their biometrics based on religious grounds.
“I find it extremely disturbing the House Republican leadership would not allow a bill to be heard that supports the First Amendment. HB 2811 provides for a religious exemption on the collection of biometric information. Speaker Benge and Rep. Terrill are complicit in allowing the state to continue the unconstitutional collection of bio metric information,” said Sen. Brogdon.
Rep. Key criticized Speaker Benge and Rep Randy Terrill for abuse of power by refusing to allow the bill to go the full house for a vote. “The Speaker and other legislative leaders were never given the right to pick and choose which bills will get a hearing and which will not. The bedrock of our republic is representation by the people. When legislative leaders abuse their power and rob our freedoms in this way…. they silence the people and they have no voice in government.”
Key said that constitutional rights are being denied by the Speaker Benge, and Rep. Randy Terrill, the Chair of the Public Safety and Judiciary Subcommittee. “Speaker Benge has decided not to hear HB2811, and he has placed the final say over this decision into the hands of Representative Randy Terrill. These two legislators will decide if we are to have religious freedom in Oklahoma or not. Are our God given rights to be denied by one or two men?”
Oklahoma opted out of participation in the Real ID Act in 2007 with the passage of SB 464.
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