WASHINGTON – Massachusetts U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III on Wednesday proposed "clarifying" the Religious Freedom Act in a way that supporters say will prevent organizations, business owners and other individuals from using it to shield discrimination against others on the basis of religious beliefs.
Business owners who believe marriage is strictly a union between a man and a woman, for example, would be barred from using the Religious Freedom law to protect their refusal to provide wedding services for same-sex couples. Kennedy's clarification would also eliminate a legal basis for claims of religious-based exemptions from Obamacare mandates to provide workers with insurance covering contraception services.
BOSTON – The sponsor of a bill that would limit payments for accrued sick-leave and vacation time for government workers who retire acknowledged Tuesday that her bill is unlikely to become law this session but urged fellow lawmakers to nonetheless take steps against "extraordinary payouts."
"Taxpayers are angry," Rep. Colleen Garry told the Joint Committee on Public Service Wednesday. "The private sector doesn't usually get this kind of thing because the private sector can't afford to do it. Why should the public sector be able to afford to do it?"
