California Passes Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2012

According to the bill, this amendment to the Fair Employment and Housing Act AB 1964 would clarify that undue hardship, as defined in the Definitions section of the Fair Employment and Housing Act, will also apply to the Religious Discrimination section, clearing up legal confusion of federal vs. state definitions of “undue hardship”. The bill would also specify that religious clothing and hairstyles qualify as a religious belief or observance and that segregating an employee from customers or the public is not a reasonable accommodation of an employee’s religious beliefs now protects “religious dress practice” shall be construed broadly to include the wearing or carrying of religious clothing, head or face coverings, jewelry, artifacts, and any other item that is part of the observance by an individual of his or her religious creed. “Religious grooming practice” shall be construed broadly to include all forms of head, facial, and body hair that are part of the observance by an individual of his or her religious creed.

The bill, sponsored by The Sikh Coalition would clarify that undue hardship, as defined in the Definitions section of the Fair Employment and Housing Act, will also apply to the Religious Discrimination section, clearing up legal confusion of federal vs. state definitions of “undue hardship”. The bill would also specify that religious clothing and hairstyles qualify as a religious belief or observance and that segregating an employee from customers or the public is not a reasonable accommodation of an employee’s religious beliefs.

To learn more about the bill’s passage, go to http://asmdc.org/members/a08/religious-freedom?layout=category  To read an interesting article chronicling the passage of the bill go to http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/blog/archive/2012/08/what-unity-looks-ab-1964