The FFRF Action Fund recently attended the National Conference of State Legislatures’ 50th anniversary summit in Boston this August — the perfect venue to connect with leaders from across the country and share our message. With more than 8,000 registrants, the summit is the nation’s largest bipartisan gathering of state lawmakers and legislative staff.
Our booth was placed in a busy area of the exhibition hall, anchored by a tablecloth declaring “FIGHTING FOR THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE” in big bold letters that was impossible to miss. Our free swag spread across the table was a big hit. The stickers and buttons reading “Keep your theology off my biology,” “Christian Nationalism is un-American,” and “E Pluribus Unum” were very popular items. Even conservative politicians from deep red states couldn’t resist. I saw one Bible Belt lawmaker pick up a “Ban Marriage Between Church and State” bumper sticker with a smile before putting it in his tote bag.
Of course, some attendees disagreed and challenged our material; one guy even suggested that Caitlin Berray, our government affairs coordinator, consult a Catholic nun for guidance! But overall the conversations were positive, highlighting just how important face-to-face dialogue has become in today’s political climate.
Beyond the booth, FFRF State Policy Manager Ryan Dudley and I scheduled and met one-on-one with state lawmakers from across the country to share and discuss our new model legislation, especially the KPOP Act: Kids’ Protection from Official Proselytizing. Several legislators from Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri and Ohio told us how alarmed they were at how quickly Christian nationalism has accelerated and infiltrated their capitol buildings. They mentioned bills like the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms, school “chaplains,” released-time programs like LifeWise, publicly funded vouchers for religious schools, and PragerU right-wing theology being incorporated into academic standards.
I believe that’s why our KPOP Act resonated so strongly with lawmakers. The bill language is straightforward: Establish, in state law, protections for secular education by codifying longstanding First Amendment protections. With a U.S. Supreme Court that’s already reversed decades of precedent such as abortion rights, and with marriage equality now in the crosshairs, there’s legitimate concern that state/church separation protections dating back to the 1940s could be next on the chopping block. In the event that were to happen, our KPOP Act would trigger those federal protections at the state level, ensuring that even if SCOTUS continues reversing longstanding rulings, students in states where this law is passed will still have their constitutional right to secular public education protected.
In addition to the KPOP Act, we also introduced to lawmakers the Children Have a Right to Medicine (CHARM) Act. This legislation aims to repeal problematic medical exemption laws that have allowed certain religious groups to avoid accountability when they withhold medical treatment from their children. These laws have been used to mount defenses against crimes such as manslaughter, neglect and abuse. It’s past time we do away with these exemptions, and the legislators we talked to about this issue seemed to agree!
The 50th anniversary National Conference of State Legislatures summit was a powerful reminder of why advocacy work matters. In a time of religious extremism intertwined throughout public institutions, we met with thoughtful legislators seeking practical, constitutional solutions. And we were there to provide them.
We left Boston with more than just new contacts. We left with lawmakers prepared to introduce legislation, staffers replying to our emails to coordinate follow-ups, and a renewed sense that there is STILL a strong will to safeguard public schools from religious coercion. When lawmakers from around the country show this level of interest, it’s a good sign that we’re addressing a real need. And THAT should give all of us hope going forward.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mickey Dollens is the regional government affairs manager at the Freedom From Religion Foundation, where he fights to uphold state-church separation and protect religious freedom for all.
