Nebraska Statutes 20-702. Terms, defined
For purposes of the First Freedom Act:
Terms Used In Nebraska Statutes 20-702
- Action: shall include any proceeding in any court of this state. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
- Person: shall include bodies politic and corporate, societies, communities, the public generally, individuals, partnerships, limited liability companies, joint-stock companies, and associations. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
- State: when applied to different states of the United States shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories organized by Congress. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
(1) Exercise of religion means the practice or observance of religion and includes any action that is motivated by a sincerely held religious belief, whether or not the exercise is compulsory or central to a larger system of religious belief;
(2) Person means any individual, association, partnership, corporation, church, religious institution, estate, trust, foundation, or other legal entity;
(3) Religious organization means:
(a) A house of worship;
(b) A religious group, corporation, association, educational institution, ministry, order, society, or similar entity, regardless of whether it is integrated or affiliated with a church or other house of worship; or
(c) An officer, owner, employee, manager, religious leader, clergy, or minister of an entity or organization described in subdivision (3)(a) or (b) of this section;
(4) Religious service means a meeting, gathering, or assembly of two or more persons organized by a religious organization for the purpose of worship, teaching, training, providing educational services, conducting religious rituals, or other activities that are deemed necessary by the religious organization for the exercise of religion;
(5) State action means the implementation or application of any law, including state and local laws, ordinances, rules, regulations, and policies, whether statutory or otherwise, or other action by the state or any political subdivision thereof and any local government, municipality, instrumentality, or public official authorized by state or local law; and
(6)(a) Substantially burden means any action that directly or indirectly constrains, inhibits, curtails, or denies the exercise of religion by any person or compels any action contrary to a person’s exercise of religion.
(b) Substantially burden includes withholding benefits, imposing criminal, civil, or administrative penalties or damages, or exclusion from governmental programs or access to governmental facilities.