Religion Is Essential Act, SB 397, Petition

California State Senator Brian Jones of Escondido has authored the Religion is Essential Act, a bill sponsored by California Family Council and several other allied organizations to protect the religious liberty of churches and other religious organizations during a state of emergency. As you know this past year Governor Newsom relegated churches to "second class" status by preventing them from using their facilities during the pandemic, while exempting secular businesses and services from these requirements.

Here is what the Religion is Essential Act (SB 397) will do:

• Require that the Governor and local governments treat religious services as an essential service (just like retail) during any declared state of emergency; and

• Prohibit the state and local governments from discriminating against a religious organization during an emergency; and

• Require the state and local governments to permit religious services to continue operating during an emergency; and

• Prohibit the state and local governments from enforcing a health, safety or occupancy requirement that imposes a substantial burden on a religious service during an emergency; and

• Allow a religious organization that has been subject to state or local government overreach to file a claim for relief in an administrative or judicial proceeding.

Please sign and then share this public petition with your friends and family using the buttons on this petition or by copying the link. Your names will be presented to legislators to encourage them to support this proposal. Read the actual text of SB 397.