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Trump’s new religious exemptions for employers an invitation to discriminate, critics say
With just six weeks left in his term, President Donald Trump looks to cement his legacy on religious liberty.
The Trump administration has issued new guidance on religious exemptions for federal contractors that critics say grants them carte blanche to discriminate against LGBTQ workers, women, religious minorities and others.The Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs released Monday its final rule on exemptions to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and a related 1965 executive order instituting anti-discrimination requirements for federal contractors.
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Trump’s new religious exemptions for employers an invitation to discriminate, critics say
With just six weeks left in his term, President Donald Trump looks to cement his legacy on religious liberty.(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
The Department of Labor headquarters in Washington on March 26, 2020.Alex Edelman / AFP - Getty Images file
Dec. 8, 2020, 6:03 PM EST
By Dan Avery
The Trump administration has issued new guidance on religious exemptions for federal contractors that critics say grants them carte blanche to discriminate against LGBTQ workers, women, religious minorities and others.
The Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs released Monday its final rule]on exemptions to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and a related 1965 executive order instituting anti-discrimination requirements for federal contractors.
The provision expands exceptions to any contractors — for-profit or nonprofit — who “hold themselves out to the public as carrying out a religious purpose.”
“This rule is intended to correct any misperception that religious organizations are disfavored in government contracting by setting forth appropriate protections for their autonomy to hire employees who will further their religious missions,” it reads in part. According to the office, the new rule “reduces confusion” and reinforces existing statutes, including the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, 1993 legislation intended to prevent the federal government from “substantially burdening a person’s exercise of religion.”