On Tuesday, the Indiana state Senate voted 39-11 in favor of a bill to explicitly permit religious discrimination in hiring by some organizations that contract with the state.
Under the legislation, which would amend non-discrimination rules for state contractors, such organizations could “give a preference in employment” to people of a particular faith. They could also require all employees to “conform to the religious tenets of the organization.”
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Similar efforts to pass so-called religious freedom legislation failed in several states last year. An Arizona bill was arguably the most contentious. The bill, which critics said would have allowed business owners to refuse services to LGBT individuals, was vetoed by then-Gov. Jan Brewer (R).
