After passing through both the Arizona State Senate by a vote of 17 to 13 on February 19th, and the State House by a vote of 33 to 27 on February 20th, Senate Bill 1062 was finally put to rest. Arizona governor Jan Brewer (AZ-R) vetoed the bill on Wednesday, February 26th, due to the fact that “the bill is broadly worded and could result in unintended and negative consequences.”
If this bill passed, it would have allowed for religious freedom to override other discriminatory acts. Governor Brewer said that the bill “could divide Arizona in ways we cannot even imagine and no one would ever want.” In a press conference where she announced her decision, Governor Brewer also stated, “Senate Bill 1062 does not address a specific or present concern related to religious liberty in Arizona,” and she has “not heard one example in Arizona where a business owner’s religious liberty has been violated.”
Watch Governor Brewer’s press conference here:
Supporters of the bill voiced their support for by saying that it would protect the religious freedoms of business owners by giving them the right to refuse to
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
serve someone based, according to Republican House Representative of Minnesota Michele Bachmann on their “sincerely held religious beliefs.”This would mean, for example, that a shopkeeper could refuse to serve a gay customer if his or her religious beliefs somehow did not tolerate homosexuality. For this reason, opponents argued that the bill was discriminatory, anti-gay, and should be vetoed on those grounds alone.
Opponents of the bill also argued that it was detrimental to the state’s economy.
Public outcry against the bill attracted the attention of the CEOs of giant corporations like Apple, AT&T, and American Airlines. The NFL was also keeping a close eye on the movement in Arizona legislature, as they are set to hold next year’s Super Bowl XLIX there.
The bill appeared to have a smooth façade with innocent intentions, but a closer read demonstrates, “The law’s language can easily be read to protect the right of private entities (including business corporations) to use RFRA, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, “in defense of their free exercise rights, even when ‘free exercise’ means ‘discriminating against others.” So, if business owners refuse to serve someone because it “violates” their religious beliefs, the law would open the doors to condone prejudice.
Senate Bill 1062 was originally designed to be an amendment to Arizona’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which has not been updated since it was made legal in 1999.
There have been discussions about Senate Bill 1062 in social awareness clubs around Hewitt, including ACTION and Spectrum. Keanna Hunter ’17, a member of Spectrum, voiced her opinion on the bill: “Senate Bill 1062 is beyond the small injustices that homosexuals have to face every day. It legalizes discrimination and lets citizens in Arizona use their religion as a weapon. It’s so unfair and disgusting to think someone even thought about passing this bill. After so much movement forward, it is disappointing to see the United States almost [took] a step backwards.”