This document includes House Committee Amendments incorporated into the bill on Mon, Feb 5, 2024 at 9:47 AM by housengrossing.
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WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION AMENDMENTS

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2024 GENERAL SESSION

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STATE OF UTAH

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Chief Sponsor: Brady Brammer

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Senate Sponsor: Michael S. Kennedy

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7     LONG TITLE
8     General Description:
9          This bill addresses religious expression in the workplace.
10     Highlighted Provisions:
11          This bill:
12          ▸     prohibits an employer from compelling an employee to communicate or otherwise
13     act in a manner that the employee believes would burden or offend the employee's
14     religious Ĥ→ [, moral, or conscientious] ←Ĥ beliefs.
15     Money Appropriated in this Bill:
16          None
17     Other Special Clauses:
18          None
19     Utah Code Sections Affected:
20     AMENDS:
21          34A-5-112, as enacted by Laws of Utah 2015, Chapter 13
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23     Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
24          Section 1. Section 34A-5-112 is amended to read:
25          34A-5-112. Religious liberty protections -- Expressing beliefs and commitments
26     in workplace -- Prohibition on employment actions against certain employee speech.
27          (1) As used in this section, "religiously objectionable expression" means expression,
28     action, or inaction that burdens or offends a religious Ĥ→ [, moral, or conscientious] ←Ĥ belief,
28a     including
29     dress and grooming requirements, speech, scheduling, prayer, and abstention, including
30     abstentions relating to healthcare.
31          [(1)] (2) An employee may express the employee's religious or moral beliefs and
32     commitments in the workplace in a reasonable, non-disruptive, and non-harassing way on
33     equal terms with similar types of expression of beliefs or commitments allowed by the
34     employer in the workplace, unless the expression is in direct conflict with the essential
35     business-related interests of the employer.
36          [(2)] (3) An employer may not discharge, demote, terminate, or refuse to hire any
37     person, or retaliate against, harass, or discriminate in matters of compensation or in terms,
38     privileges, and conditions of employment against any person otherwise qualified, for lawful
39     expression or expressive activity outside of the workplace regarding the person's religious,
40     political, or personal convictions, including convictions about marriage, family, or sexuality,
41     unless the expression or expressive activity is in direct conflict with the essential
42     business-related interests of the employer.
43          (4) An employer may not compel an employee to engage in religiously objectionable
44     expression that the employee reasonably believes would burden or offend the employee's
45     religious Ĥ→ [, moral, or conscientious] ←Ĥ beliefs, unless accommodating the employee would
45a     cause an
46     undue burden to the employer by substantially interfering with the employer's:
47          (a) core mission or the employer's ability to conduct business in an effective or
48     financially reasonable manner; or
49          (b) ability to provide training and safety instruction for the job.
50          Section 2. Effective date.
51          This bill takes effect on May 1, 2024.