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[ad_1] Lawmakers in Kansas and Oklahoma passed bills this week chipping away at marriage equality, approving legislation that would allow child-placement agencies to refuse placements based on their religious beliefs — such as discriminating against same-sex couples — without endangering state funding. In Oklahoma, Senate Bill 1140 passed both the Senate (33-7) and the House (56-21) on Thursday. Notably, the House held no discussion or debate  of the legislation despite Democratic lawmakers “ literally standing and shouting and refusing to sit down” as the bill was brought up. One Democratic lawmaker was almost removed from the floor for refusing to take his seat. The abomination of process & justice in the OK House of Reps makes me weep for democracy. The priorities of bigotry and hate, under the guise of religious freedom, are truly heartbreaking. I hope this is not the Oklahoma Standard they keep referring to. @KOCOBret @nytimes — Cory Williams (@repcorywilliams) May 3, ...

[ad_1] Weeks after tens of thousands of Oklahoma teachers ended their nine-day strike after securing major wins, including teacher raises and additional education funding, legislators introduced a bill that aims to hamper membership in the teachers unions that helped organized the walkouts. The measure, Senate Bill 1150 , began as a bill tackling child abuse, but was completely rewritten this week thanks to an amendment by state Rep. Todd Russ (R). The current version of the bill would require a majority vote by teachers every five years in order to keep their collective bargaining unit. It would also prohibit school districts from automatically subtracting union dues from teacher paychecks, leaving teachers to make their own plans with the union to make the payments. “There’s teachers that have been there for 20, 30 years and never had the opportunity to retain their union or change representation, or quit paying the dues and not have representation,” said Russ, according to Th...