Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a bill into law Thursday that calls churches and religious organizations “essential services” and limits how the state can restrict them during an emergency.
Holcomb, a Republican, signed the bill less than a month after it passed the state Senate, 36-10, and the state House, 74-20.
The bill’s sponsors say it is needed to protect churches during future emergencies similar or even worse than the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to local and state governments shuttering churches.
The state and its “political subdivision” may not impose restrictions on churches and religious organizations that are “more restrictive than the restrictions imposed on other businesses and organizations that provide essential services to the public,” the text says.
The new law specifically allows the state to order a “religious organization to comply with a generally applicable health, safety, or occupancy requirement,” but it must be “neutral towards religious organizations and equally applicable to any organization or business that provides essential services.”
The law also includes a section allowing individuals to sue the state if they believe their religious liberty rights have been violated.