The Week in Quotes (March 26 – April 1)

Here are some of the week’s most notable quotes.

State Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, during the Save Texas Schools Rally at the Capitol on Saturday.

“The Texas school finance system is broken, but our schools are not broken. Imagine what teachers and school officials could do for our kids if we actually provided our schools with the resources they need to help students thrive in the 21st century.”

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Rabbi Mara S. Nathan and Rev. Valda Jean Combs, on proposals at the Texas Legislature that would authorize personal religious beliefs as a justification for discrimination.

“Religious liberty has never meant the right to impose our beliefs on others. Nor does it give us the right to refuse to obey laws on so called ‘religious principle.’ And it certainly does not mean the right to hurt people because we dislike them or are offended by who they are or whom they love. That is discrimination, not religious freedom.”

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A question by state Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, and the response from an unidentified Texas House member during Schaefer’s attempt to add the SB 6 “bathroom bill” language as an amendment to an unrelated bill.

“Is there a standard that we could understand to know when the chair is going to allow a member to lay an amendment out and when they’re not?”

“When they’re not crazy!”

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Texas Freedom Network President Kathy Miller, on religious refusal bills at the Texas Legislature.

“These religious refusal bills radically redefine a fundamental right by allowing religion as a justification to discriminate or refuse to obey laws you don’t like.”

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Chris Sgro, executive director of Equality NC, on North Carolina’s attempt to repeal the anti-LGBT HB2 law.

“The initiative is not a repeal. It’s doubling down on the discrimination that HB2 exacts — it’s HB2.0. It doesn’t allow municipalities to protect people from discrimination till 2020.”