A Legislative Newsletter for Township Officials Editor, David Bertram MTA Legislative Analyst II Capitol Currents, August 2000, Issue 1, Vol. It is expected the President will sign the measure. Local governments fully support the First Amendment and the freedom of religion. Churches play very important roles in communities and provide essential social services.
Churches are also an emerging force in community development.
Churches are considered to be one of the foundations of the community and the services they provide are appreciated. Local ordinances are created to protect the health, safety, welfare and development of a community. The strict scrutiny standard is the most demanding test in constitutional law. Allowing a religious institution to bypass traditional negotiating mechanisms and immediately proceed to federal litigation denies local governments the ability to enforce their regulations and raises court costs for the residents of those communities to pay for with their taxes. It has little to do with fighting against discrimination of religious freedom.