Minnesota SF 1073: Statewide invasive species management plan requirements modifications

Bill Text

1.1 A joint resolution​
1.2 relating to Religious Freedom Day.​
1.3 WHEREAS, on January 16, 1786, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, which was​
1.4 written by Thomas Jefferson and championed by James Madison and served as the model for the​
1.5 relationship between religion and government taken by the Framers of the Constitution in 1787,​
1.6 and the First Amendment in 1789, was enacted in Virginia; and​
1.7 WHEREAS, today we understand that religious freedom is a fundamental American and​
1.8 human right. We declare that religious freedom is a cornerstone of democracy. We declare that​
1.9 religious freedom is not a privilege for the few, but a right for all. We embrace this fundamental​
1.10 right as one that applies to people of all religious affiliations or beliefs and people of no religious​
1.11 affiliations or beliefs; and​
1.12 WHEREAS, we recognize that the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom has equality as a​
1.13 guiding and governing principle in declaring: "...all men shall be free to profess, and by argument​
1.14 to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge,​
1.15 or affect their civil capacities." Thomas Jefferson rightly understood that religious freedom​
1.16 encompasses "the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mahometan, the Hindoo, and infidel of​
1.17 every denomination"; and​
1.18 WHEREAS, we hold that religious liberty remains essential to the health and future of our​
1.19 democracy; and​
1.20 WHEREAS, in 1992, Congress designated January 16th as Religious Freedom Day to​
1.21 commemorate the enactment of the Virginia Statute; and​
1.22 WHEREAS, in that spirit, we recall the centrality of the Virginia Statute in shaping religious​
1.23 freedom as one of the highest aspirations of the American experiment; NOW, THEREFORE,​
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25-02874 as introduced​01/27/25 REVISOR SGS/BM​
SENATE​
STATE OF MINNESOTA​
S.F. No. 1073​NINETY-FOURTH SESSION​
(SENATE AUTHORS: MARTY, McEwen, Carlson and Fateh)​
OFFICIAL STATUS​D-PG​DATE​
Introduction and first reading​305​02/06/2025​
Referred to State and Local Government​

2.1 BE IT RESOLVED by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota that it recognizes January​
2.2 16th as Religious Freedom Day, a day in which the legislature celebrates the diversity of Minnesotans​
2.3 and recognizes the right of each person to hold beliefs and practice religion according to their​
2.4 conscience.​
2.5 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of the State of Minnesota promotes and​
2.6 encourages respect for all individuals regardless of their religious beliefs or affiliations or lack of​
2.7 such beliefs.​
2.8 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota that it will work​
2.9 to protect the rights of all people to practice their religion, free from interference in their beliefs,​
2.10 whether from government or any other institution or group.​
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25-02874 as introduced​01/27/25 REVISOR SGS/BM​