Report: Florida receives nation's second-highest grade for religious liberty

(The Center Square) — The Sunshine State ranks second in the nation for the protection of religious liberty, according to a new report from the Center for Religion, Culture and Democracy.

The report, "Religious Liberty in the States," is a project that measures legal safeguards for religious liberty across the U.S. During a panel discussion on the report, Jordan Ballor, director of research at CRCD, was joined by project director Mark David Hall and associate director Paul Mueller.

A list of safeguards was used to measure and compare each state - including a state’s policies on absentee voting, general conscience, abortion refusal, sterilization refusal, contraception refusal, health insurance mandates, non-participation by clergy, religious entity refusal, public office recusal, for-profit business nonparticipation, clergy as mandatory reporters, houses of worship protected from closing, ceremonial use of alcohol by minors, religious freedom restoration act, childhood immunization requirements and excused absences for religious reasons.

"Florida improved from number eight in the nation in 2023 to number two in 2024 because it passed general conscience and hospital protections," Hall told The Center Square. "These laws ensure that medical professionals and institutions are not compelled to participate in medical procedures to which they have religious objections."

Illinois, Florida, Montana and Arkansas are the top five states for religious freedom, with Mississippi and Ohio tied for fifth.

"The three most improved states this year are Montana, New Hampshire and Florida. These states saw double-digit improvements in how they protect religious liberty and we see that as very promising," Mueller said.

According to the report , Florida improved by over 13%, moving into second place with an overall score of 73.2%, while Illinois is in first place with an overall score of 80.4%. Data further shows that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act is present in 50% of U.S. states.

The most prevalent safeguards are health insurance mandates, which are found in 89% of states, the immunization requirement exemption, which is in 88% of states and absentee voting, which is in 84% of states.

The report notes the Florida Legislature should be given significant credit for protecting religious freedom. Florida passed several new laws in the past year, namely to add additional protection and expand general conscience provisions intended to protect medical professionals.

A recent study from the Cato Institute, "Freedom in the 50 States," ranked states based on several factors, including regulations around business, Second Amendment protections, drug legalization, incarceration rates and taxation. Overall, Florida ranks second behind New Hampshire.

Florida also ranks first fiscally for government consumption and government employment, while ranking first overall for being fiscally responsible. Florida comes in the middle of the pack for cash and security assets, health insurance and lawsuits.