By: Daily Signal Staff – dailysignal.com – May 22, 2019
Texas’ Republican-controlled House voted Monday to pass a “Save Chick-fil-A” bill.
The “Save Chick-fil-A” bill does not allow the government to take “any adverse action” against any contractor, individual, or business because of their religious beliefs.
“It strengthens and reaffirms Texas’ First Amendment rights,” Republican state Rep. Matt Krause said to The Daily Caller News Foundation. “We had seen instances around the country where individuals were starting to be penalized … for what they believed or who they associated with.”
“I thought that this started a very dangerous precedent and wanted to make sure that Texas didn’t go down that road,” added Krause, who sponsored the measure.
The San Antonio City Council decided in March to ban Chick-fil-A from the city’s airport because of the restaurant chain’s history of “anti-LGTBQ” comments and actions.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, began an investigation after the vote in order to see if councilmen had violated any laws.
The House LGTBQ Caucus, created in January as a forum for Texas legislators to talk about LGTBQ issues and promote equality, kept a House version of the Chick-fil-A bill from passing earlier in May.
The Texas Senate passed a companion bill on May 16.
The Senate version of the bill passed the state House 79 to 62, a near party-line vote. It will head to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk if the Senate agrees to changes representatives made.