Tuesday, March 08, 2011

Senate passes bill on professional licenses and religious beliefs


I'm still trying to figure out how Arizona Senate bill SB1288 is going to be used. It passed the Senate today 21-9. The fact sheet on it says it "Prohibits a government from denying, suspending or revoking a professional or occupational license, certificate or registration based on a person’s exercise of religion."

The provision that confounds me "Prohibits a government from denying, suspending or revoking a professional or occupational license, certificate or registration based on a person’s refusal to affirm a statement that is contrary to the person’s sincerely held moral or religious beliefs."

Someone's going to have to interpret this one for me.
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5 comments:

  1. Reprobus12:59 AM

    It's simple. A govt agency can't sack you for refusing to say something you hold to be untrue on religious grounds. So, to take an uncontroversial example, if your crackpot interpretation of religion maintains that the earth was created in 4004 BC in seven days by the big sky daddy, as a teacher required to teach evolutionary theory to students, you can refuse to teach your students that says that this is plainly wrong and that the earth is billions of years old. And you can't get the sack for teaching the kids a bunch of bullsh*t.

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  2. John7:08 AM

    My geology renewal form does not have a religion check box. I'm sure that will be rectified next year.

    The key provision might be "D. GOVERNMENT SHALL NOT DENY A PERSON A POSITION ON A BOARD,COMMISSION, COMMITTEE OR PUBLIC BODY BASED ON THE PERSON'S RELIGIOUS BELIEFS OR EXERCISE OF RELIGION." Seems protective, however I think it's thrust is school boards and evolution, rather than the BTR.

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  3. Callan Bentley7:26 AM

    Yes, I think Reprobus has got the intention right -- that's what occurs to me, too.

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  4. Anonymous9:05 PM

    What the heck are they doing at the legislature? They should focus on the budget and economy. They are going to drive rational people away with many of the bills they are considering this session.

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  5. Lee Allison7:31 PM

    I wonder what Az State Senate President (pro tempore) Sylvia Allen had to do with it.

    [this is an edited version of a comment submitted by Reprobus. - LA]

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