Senate Bill 1399 Summary

• Prohibits state government and private persons from discriminating against adoption, foster care, and related service providers based on their religious beliefs or exercise of religion.

• Requires contractors with religious objections to services to submit alternative approaches in their contract proposals, which must be evidence-based if the contract requires evidence-based curricula.

• Prevents discrimination against persons granted custody of adopted or foster children based on how they guide or raise the child in accordance with their religious beliefs, though the state may consider whether a person shares the child's religious beliefs during placement decisions.

• Allows persons to pursue claims for violations without exhausting administrative remedies, with prevailing parties recovering reasonable attorney fees, and establishes a two-year statute of limitations for claims.

• Applies to all state and local laws, ordinances, and their implementation whether adopted before or after the law's effective date.