Utah Protections for Religious Expression and Beliefs About Marriage, Family, or Sexuality (SB 297)

SB 297 allows government employees to refuse to perform marriage services based on his or her personal beliefs.

The law requires a county clerk to establish policies to ensure that the county clerk, or a designee of the county clerk who is willing, is available during business hours to solemnize a legal marriage for which a marriage license has been issued.

The law specifies that except for county clerks or their designees, no person authorized under to solemnize a marriage may delegate or deputize another person to perform the function of solemnizing a marriage.

The law prohibits an individual or a state or local government from requiring a religious official or organization to provide services for activities connected with the solemnization or celebration of a marriage that is contrary to the official’s or organization’s religious beliefs about marriage, family, or sexuality.

Additionally, no individual or a state or local government may retaliate against an individual, a religious official when acting as such, or a religious organization for exercising the protections contained in the provisions of this law.

The law prohibits a state or local government from denying or revoking a business license or disciplining or discriminating against a professional business based on the licensee’s beliefs in a nonprofessional setting concerning marriage, family, or sexuality.

Pastor Protection Provision

The law prohibits an individual from requiring a religious official, when acting as such, or religious organization to provide goods, accommodations, advantages, privileges, services, facilities, or grounds for activities connected with the solemnization or celebration of a marriage that is contrary to that religious official’s or religious organization’s religious beliefs about marriage, family, or sexuality.

 

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