brief announcement from her office. It was passed by the state’s House of Representatives this month and by the Senate in February.
It’s the first legislation of its kind to be signed in this legislative session.It bars the state or any of its cities or counties from taking action that would “substantially burden a person’s exercise of religion.” Its supporters have said its purpose was to protect churches from closure during the COVID-19 pandemic — although Noem did not order any churches or any secular entities to close — but LGBTQ+ activists say it is so broadly written as to enable discrimination against anyone who offends an individual’s or institution’s religious beliefs.