Arizona Senate Passes Bill Allowing Religious-Based Discrimination

Arizona Sen. Steve Yarbrough. AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, file

The Arizona State has approved a bill that expands religious freedom, a measure that is being opposed saying it would create a  “separate unequal class” and allow discrimination against LGBT people.

Senate Bill 1062 passed with a 17-13 vote by Senators in the state.

It will now advance to the state’s House, despite the failure of a similar legislation in four other states.

The bill prevents the state from taking action against individuals and business owners who choose to refuse services to people or groups based on their religious beliefs.

A companion bill is expected to pass in the House in the coming days, according to the Arizona Senate Democratic Caucus, which opposes the bill because it “conflates discrimination with religious freedom.”

“SB 1062 permits discrimination under the guise of religious freedom,” Senate Democratic Leader Anna Tovar said in a statement. “With the express consent of Republicans in this Legislature, many Arizonans will find themselves members of a separate and unequal class under this law because of their sexual orientation. This bill may also open the door to discriminate based on race, familial status, religion, sex, national origin, age or disability.”

Republican Sen. Steve Yarbrough, a sponsor of the bill in the Senate, said he aims to protect religious freedoms and has cited a recent case in New Mexico, where the state supreme court held that a same-sex couple should be allowed to sue a photographer under the state’s public accommodation law for refusing to photograph their wedding. That defendant in that case has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review their First Amendment claims.