Vermont House reacts to Indiana controversy

MONTPELIER – A group of students with gay-rights group Outright Vermont happened to be visiting Friday as the Vermont House of Representatives reacted to the type of religious freedom law that stirred a firestorm in Indiana.

The House resolution opposes the original law that was widely criticized for appearing to allow Indiana businesses to discriminate against gay customers. The law has since been amended to address the backlash.

With an 119-1 vote, Vermont legislators also urged all states to enact nondiscrimination statutes for LGBT residents and requested broader restrictions on taxpayer-funded state travel.

"We will not use public dollars to send individuals to the states that have discriminatory language," said Rep. Paul Poirier, I-Barre City, as the students listened from the balcony.

On Tuesday, Gov. Peter Shumlin banned non-essential state-funded travel to Indiana for executive branch departments.

In the resolution, House members urged the remaining branches of state government to join the travel ban and expand it to encompass the approximately 13 states with laws similar to Indiana's original law.

"It breaks my heart when I hear freedom of religion and freedom from discrimination being pitted against each other, as though they were not essential to the existence, each of the other," said Rep. Anne Donahue, R-Northfield. "The God of my faith is not capable of causing hurt, but rather is the very embodiment of love, is not capable of exclusion, but only of inclusion, is not capable of being a force for division, but only of unity."

Donahue added a statement to the resolution to explicitly oppose any law that discriminates based on religious creed, along with race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and all other protected categories in Vermont.

"The fact that a person is concerned about protection of their religious freedom does not automatically mean that their motive is to claim a right to discriminate," Donahue said. "For our resolution to be misconstrued as implying that will allow it to become itself a statement of prejudgment."

Governors of all 50 states will receive a copy of the resolution, which touts Vermont's history of non-discrimination laws and recognition of civil unions and same-sex marriage.

At a meeting of House Republicans on the eve of the vote, some members wondered whether it was necessary or appropriate to tell other states what to do.

"It's appropriate for us as Vermonters to say, 'We have been through this. We have wrestled with it and we have resolved it,' " responded Rep. William Lippert, D-Hinesburg. Lippert led the effort to encourage other states to add nondiscrimination statutes as part of the resolution.

Rep. Warren Van Wyck, R-Ferrisburgh, was the only representative to vote against the resolution.

"Vermont has plenty of challenges within its borders," Van Wyck said in a written statement. "I am not interested in passing judgments on the actions of the legislatures of the other 49 states unless they directly affect the substantive well-being of the State of Vermont and its residents."

Thirty House members were absent for the roll call vote, which took place the morning of Good Friday.

PREVIOUSLY: Shumlin bans state-funded trips to Indiana

Contact April Burbank at (802) 660-1863 or aburbank@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AprilBurbank