Legislation that would preserve the religious rights of foster parents has advanced from an Oklahoma House committee.

“Senate Bill 658 simply clarifies that no one is excluded from the pool to be considered for a foster parent based on a religious or moral belief,” said state Rep. Denise Crosswhite Hader, R-Piedmont.

Senate Bill 658, by state Sen. Julie Daniels and Crosswhite Hader, states that the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) cannot require any current or prospective adoptive or foster parent “to affirm, accept, or support any government policy regarding sexual orientation or gender identity that conflicts with the parent’s sincerely held religious or moral beliefs as a condition for eligibility to adopt or foster.”

The legislation also requires that state officials take “into account the religious or moral beliefs of a particular adoptive or foster child, or his or her family of origin including, but not limited to, the child’s or family’s views regarding sexual orientation and gender identity” when determining where to place a child, and that DHS still has a duty to “make each placement consistent with the best interests of the child.”

While lawmakers conceded that there have been no widespread reports of Christian families being excluded from serving as foster parents in Oklahoma, that has not been true in other states.

Under a California state law, prospective foster parents have been required to proactively “affirm” a child’s chosen gender identity or sexual orientation. The California Policy Council reports that the law has led to a “purge” of Christian foster parents in California, who are “being systematically excluded from California’s foster care system.”

Those reports have a chilling effect nationwide, Crosswhite Hader said.

“When anyone hears a report, even when it’s not in this state but another state, that makes them gun-shy of being involved,” Crosswhite Hader said.

She said the passage of SB 658 will provide clarity and certainty to Oklahoma’s prospective foster families.

State Rep. Brian Hill, R-Mustang, who said he had served as a foster parent for “multiple years,” also said a state law could provide consistency across Oklahoma and clarity for all.

“Each county hasn’t always interpreted the rules in the same way, and among 4,000 (DHS) workers it is difficult to get parity,” Hill said.

SB 658 previously passed the Oklahoma Senate on a 38-7 vote. The bill passed the House Children, Youth and Family Services Committee on a 5-1 vote that broke along party lines with Republicans in support.