=== Religious Freedom Restoration Act ===
In 1993, the RFRA was introduced and passed the senate by a vote of 97-397–3.<ref>[https://www.nationalreview.com/article/291310/church-and-rfra-brian-bolduc The Church and the RFRA], [[National Review]]</ref> Helms was one of the three votes against the bill at the time, and for specific reasons which are usually not mentioned<ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/04/01/everybody-s-lost-their-goddamn-mind-over-religious-freedom.html]</ref>
Helms noted:
Some in the liberal media have questioned Helms' integrity, largely due to his standing against Affirmative Action programs and quotas and secondly for his opposition to many liberal appointees for federal office.<ref>http://www.jessehelmscenter.org/jessehelms/fictionortruth.asp#fic2</ref> Helms stated in his biography he has stood up for candidates in the jobs for which they were qualified. He has opposed liberal and unqualified candidates in posts for which they were not qualified. The record shows Helms enthusiastically supported African American candidates [[Clarence Thomas]], [[Colin Powell]], [[Claude Allen]], and [[Condoleezza Rice]], as well as other well qualified candidates for the positions in which they were appointed.<ref>http://www.jessehelmscenter.org/jessehelms/fictionortruth.asp#fic5</ref>
In 1996, Helms caused controversy by seeming to threaten then president [[Bill Clinton]] when he said 'Mr. Clinton better watch out if he comes down here (North Carolina). He’d He'd better have a bodyguard'.<ref>[http://www.bartleby.com/66/41/27741.html The Columbia World of Quotations]</ref>
== Humanitarian ==