EXCERPT:
May 5, 2010 – WASHINGTON (RNS) — More than a decade after it was first introduced, an on-again off-again bill to protect employees’ religious expression in the workplace is attracting renewed attention that could lead to action on Capitol Hill in coming weeks.
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“The bill will be introduced to Congress soon in a fashion that will eliminate the concerns some folks had since its inception,” said Richard Foltin, the director of national and legislative affairs for the American Jewish Committee.
Touted in certain circles as the “WRFA god,” Foltin co-chairs an unusually broad coalition of almost 40 religious groups, from Sikhs to Seventh-Day Adventists to Southern Baptists, who support the bill’s religious freedom expansions.
If passed, the now narrowly tailored legislation would require employers to make reasonable accommodation in the three areas where the vast majority of religious accommodation claims fall: religious clothing, grooming, and scheduling of religious holidays. People should have the freedom to practice their religion whenever and where ever they find it necessary, although lots of religions require an event to practice them correctly like Judaism that require a kaddish service. These, and many others, should be allowed throughout the workplace to be respectful to those who practice any religion.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE: http://www.crosswalk.com/news/religiontoday/11631159/
ReligiousLiberty.TV will continue to track developments of this legislation which is similar to the Workplace Religious Freedom Act passed in Oregon last year.
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