Senator Dennis Guth and Representative Tedd Gassman discussed several issues with a local newspaper. Regarding the Supreme Court's ruling on same-sex marriage, they expressed concerns that it could limit religious freedom. Both supported passing a state religious freedom law. Gassman said the ruling would cause problems and proposed changing divorce laws to keep more families together. Guth noted budget issues for the next legislative session. He was also concerned about the impact of avian flu on Wright County, the largest producer of laying hens in Iowa, where millions of chickens had to be euthanized.

1. 7/3/15, 4:57 PMState legislators speak on marriage, religious freedom and avian flu - E…s, Sports, Jobs, North Central Iowa, Emmet County — The Estherville News
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State legislators speak on
marriage, religious freedom
and avian flu
July 1, 2015
Amy H. Peterson - Staff Writer (apeterson@esthervillenews.net) , Estherville News
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When State Senator Dennis Guth (R Klemme) and Representative
Tedd Gassman (R- Scarville) visited the area Monday, they weighed
in with the Estherville News on a variety of topics relevant to North
Iowa and House District 7.
Senator Dennis Guth says the Supreme Court ruling in Ogbergefell v.
Hodgins "created an important national debate on religious freedom."
He said, "the court is legislating, instead of interpreting the law, and
it raises concerns that the federal government is becoming the
thought police. This could extend to policing what we can and cannot
say in church."
Representative Tedd Gassman said, "The ruling will give rise to many
problems. It seems very reactionary and unwise."
"Iowa needs a religious liberty law," Guth said. "It would be
something like the religious freedom law from 1993."
On Nov. 16, 1993, President Clinton signed the Religious Freedom
Restoration Act. The Supreme Court ruled in City of Boerne v. Flores
in 1997 that the Act was unconstitutional and not a proper use of
Congressional power. Twenty individual states have since passed
state-level Religious Freedom Restoration Acts that apply to state
and local government offices. The three years the federal Act was in
place gave rise to 337 federal lawsuits, 18 percent involving Jewish,
Muslim and Native Americans pressing for their free exercise of
religion.
"It would be difficult to pass a state Act with (Senator Mike) Gronstal
leading the Senate," Guth said. "I hope to be part of passing a law
that states no one has to violate his or her conscience, whether it's a
pharmacist declining to dispense and abortifacient or a baker
declining to bake a cake for a gay wedding. For people with deeply
religious beliefs, they still cannot discriminate, but they should be
protected from being forced to celebrate that which violates their
religion."
Gassman said a marriage issue more relevant to Iowa is divorce law,
and he is writing a new bill for the upcoming legislative session. "Our
divorce laws leave a lot of children in the lurch." A previous version
of the bill, which passed through House subcommittee in 2013,
would make no-fault divorce illegal for parents of minor children. The
2016 bill would be similar, with a goal of keeping families together.
"I sincerely believe that the family is the foundation of this nation
and this nation will go the direction of our families," Gassman said.
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2. 7/3/15, 4:57 PMState legislators speak on marriage, religious freedom and avian flu - E…s, Sports, Jobs, North Central Iowa, Emmet County — The Estherville News
Page 2 of 2http://esthervillenews.net/page/content.detail/id/521355/State-legislators-speak-on-marriage--religious-freedom-and-avian-flu.html?nav=5003
"The strength of the family reflects the strength of the nation."
In other projections for the next legislative session, Guth said,
"Budget issues were a little tight this year. If the price of corn and
soybeans don't shoot up, they will be a lot tight next year."
Guth has a particular concern for Wright County as they produce
more laying hens than any other county in the nation. Of 7 million
hens, half have been euthanized due to the avian flu.
"It will take a long time to replace all those chickens. We don't even
know when they can start, but from that point it can take 18 months
to replace them. The avian flu is a big deal and the effects have
trickled down to all the related industries."
The 7 million chickens would have eaten 7 million bushels of feed
corn across the state, that's 30 million bushels that will not be
consumed.
"We could start vaccinating our chickens, but then we lose all the
foreign markets because they will refuse vaccinated chickens."
An egg carton manufacturer is on the brink of closing when Wright
County is again able to raise healthy chickens, they will need another
supplier of egg cartons. Feed mills, grain processors, equipment
dealers are all affected. Four hundred people have filed for
unemployment insurance in Wright County alone since the outbreak.
"Our goal is to find new markets once they are up and running
again," Guth said.
If there is one positive thing emerging from the worst animal
outbreak in Iowa's history, it's that there are actually plenty of eggs
across the United States. "We lost all the export market," Guth said.
Consumers might not see a huge effect here.
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