The Arizona House on Thursday approved
a bill which opponents say would allow businesses and individuals to
discriminate against gays.
Representatives voted mainly along
party lines, lifting the measure with a 33-27 vote to clear the
chamber.
The vote comes a day after the Senate
gave its approval.
The measure seeks to prohibit the state
from taking actions against a person, defined as “any individual,
association, partnership, corporation, church, estate, trust,
foundation or other legal entity,” who refuses services based on
their religious beliefs.
The bill now heads to Republican
Governor Jan Brewer, who has not said whether she will sign the bill.
House Minority Leader Chad Campbell
called on Brewer to veto the bill.
“This bill takes aim at the LGBTQ
community,” Campbell said in a statement issued after Thursday's
vote. “It seems to be a reaction to the civil rights laws passed
by Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff. SB 1062 does nothing to create
jobs and it does nothing to improve education. Instead, it promotes
extremism and provides opportunities for discrimination. The bottom
line is, this bill is going to hurt the LGBTQ community and that is
unacceptable.”