Lawmakers OK bill over funding religious adoption agencies

Lawmakers in the House shut down questions and debate on a controversial adoption bill before sending it to the governor.

Senate Bill 1140 was heard in both the Senate and House on Thursday. In the House, Democrats voiced a flurry of motions to prevent the bill from being heard, or at least delay it.

The bill would let faithbased adoption agencies receive state funds, even if they have a policy that limits adoption to families who conform to a particular set of beliefs. Democrats have called the bill discriminatory because adoption agencies could deny a child to a same-sex couple without risking their state support.

“This bill does not deny the right of a same-sex couple to adopt children,” its author, state Sen. Greg Treat told his fellow senators.

The bill’s purpose, Treat said, is to protect agencies in the adoption system without fear of losing their ability to practice their faith. Democrats pointed out scenarios that could lead to questionable placements, with one lawmaker suggesting that a Sharia law-based agency could set up shop in Oklahoma and only approve parents who meet their strict criteria.

“We could walk through every hypothetical, but the bottom line is we should not be in the

business of telling faithbased groups what they can and cannot believe,” Treat said.

The bill passed the Senate by a 33-7 vote and in the House by 56-21. Debate in the Senate was tame by comparison to the House, where the minority party vocally objected to the bill being heard before its author,

state Rep. Travis Dunlap, R-Bartlesville, could introduce it.

After hearing Democrats spar with the presiding officer, Dunlap introduced motions that immediately cut off questions and debate. The outraged Democratic minority lashed out, interrupting the proceedings and demanding the majority answer for their decision.

State Rep. Scott Inman, D-Del City, called it an “absolute display of cowardice” and “an adulteration.”

At one point, the presiding officer threatened to have House security remove state Rep. Cory Williams, D-Stillwater, for refusing to take his seat.

After the vote, House members took a break while leaders of both parties spoke to each other. Meanwhile, tension eased among lawmakers as they laughed and relaxed in the House chamber after a long day of legislating.