The Religious Services as Essential Services bill that we saw last year is back in a new form this year. The SWC has opposed this bill previously and has registered our opposition this time around too.

I am inviting you to consider opposing the bill based on the talking points included with this message. The bill legalizes discrimination of every kind and exempts religious organizations and leaders from almost all laws if they claim religious freedom.

The judiciary committee hearing for HB 2507 is this Wednesday morning (2/2/21) at 8 am. While Wednesday’s hearing starts at 8 am, it is unclear what time HB 2507 will be heard.

Here are some actions the advocates can take:

1. Please sign in to the Request to Speak System (RTS) and register your opposition to this bill.
You can only set up an account as a person. If you are not signed up for RTS yet - you can request to have an organization or individual sign you up. I suggest LAMA (Lutheran Advocacy Ministries AZ) as they will at the capitol tomorrow (Feb. 1) for their Advocacy Day. You can list your org in your name – my name appears like this: Rev. Dr. William Lyons (Southwest Conference United Church of Christ) or you can register as an individual.

2. Write your AZ representative that you opposed to HB 2507. It is important to have as many groups signed in opposed as possible. If any of these members represent your district it’s especially important to write to them in opposition to HB2507. Writing especially to AZ House members Cesar Chavez, Diego Espinoza, Alma Hernandez, Aaron Lieberman, Jennifer Longdon, Robert Meza, and Amish Shah is important.

3. Send out an action alert. If you are able, please send out an action alert to your members.

Thanks for taking time to speak up and speak out to stop discrimination in the name of religion.

Bill