This Law Firm Publication by Fisher & Phillips LLP discusses the Protecting Freedom of Conscience From Government Discrimination Act (HB 1523) recently signed into law by Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant. The law protects religious organizations, persons, and public employees from state government discrimination relating to three sincerely held religious beliefs (that marriage should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, that sexual relations are properly reserved for marriage, and that an individual's sex is determined by anatomy and genetics at birth). The terms "religious organizations" and "persons" are broadly defined. HB 1523 becomes effective July 1, 2016.