Hearings Held on Right-to-work and Religious Freedom Bills

Lawmakers are hearing from the public on two bills sparking divide in the Legislature. Committees on Thursday held hearings on right-to-work legislation and a religious freedom bill. Right-to-work legislation bars employers from requiring workers to pay union dues as a condition of employment. They’d still receive union representation. The Senate passed the bill on a 17-16 party-line vote. Lawmakers say they want to strike a balance with a religious freedom bill after backlash over Indiana’s similar law. The tourism group Visit Indy said Indiana might have lost $60 million when a dozen groups decided against hosting conventions in Indianapolis because of the law.