[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 68 (Thursday, May 23, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S4865]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN:

[[Page S4865]]

  S. 2571. A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a 
special resources study to evaluate the suitability and feasibility of 
establishing the Rim of the Valley Corridor as a unit of the Santa 
Monica Mountains National Recreation Area; to the Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce this bill 
today to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to 
evaluate the suitability and feasibility of expanding the Santa Monica 
National Recreation Area to include the Rim of the Valley Corridor. 
This bill was introduced in the House by Congressman Adam Schiff last 
year.
  The Rim of the Valley Corridor, as designated by California law, 
encircles the San Fernando Valley, La Crescenta, Simi, Santa Clarita, 
Conejo Valleys, consisting of parts of the Santa Monica Mountains, 
Santa Susanna Mountains, San Gabriel Mountains, Verdugo Mountains, San 
Rafael Hills and adjacent connector area to the Los Padres and San 
Bernardino National Forests.
  With the population growth forecast for the next several decades, the 
need for parks to balance out the expected population growth has become 
critical in California. Federal, State, and local authorities have 
worked together successfully to create the highly successful Santa 
Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, the world's largest urban 
park, hemmed in on all sides by development. Park and recreational 
lands provide people with a vital refuge from urban life while 
preserving valuable habitat and wildlife. This bill enjoys strong 
support from local and state officials and I believe it will have 
strong bipartisan support as well.
  After the study called for in this bill is completed, the Secretary 
of Interior and Congress will be in a key position to determine whether 
the Rim of the Valley warrants national park status.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. KERRY (for himself, Mr. Santorum, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Smith 
        of Oregon, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Brownback, Mrs. Murray, and Mr. 
        Hutchinson):
  S. 2572. A bill to amend title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to 
establish provisions with respect to religious accommodation in 
employment, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I am extremely pleased to join with my 
colleague Senator Santorum today to introduce the Workplace Religious 
Freedom Act of 2002. Senators Lieberman, Gordon Smith, Murray, 
Brownback, Mikulski, and Hutchinson have all joined us as original 
cosponsors of this important legislation.
  The Workplace Religious Freedom Act would protect workers from on-
the-job discrimination related to religious beliefs and practices. It 
represents a milestone in the protection of the religious liberties of 
all workers.
  In 1972, Congress amended the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require 
employers to reasonably accommodate an employee's religious practice or 
observance unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the 
employer. This 1972 amendment, although completely appropriate, has 
been interpreted by the courts so narrowly as to place little restraint 
on an employer's refusal to provide religious accommodation. The 
Workplace Religious Freedom Act will restore to the religious 
accommodation provision the weight that Congress originally intended 
and help assure that employers have a meaningful obligation to 
reasonably accommodate their employees' religious practices.
  The restoration of this protection is no small matter. For many 
religiously observant Americans the greatest peril to their ability to 
carry out their religious faiths on a day-to-day basis may come from 
employers. I have heard accounts from around the country about a small 
minority of employers who will not make reasonable accommodation for 
employees to observe the Sabbath and other holy days or for employees 
who must wear religiously-required garb, such as a yarmulke, or for 
employees to wear clothing that meets religion-based modesty 
requirements.
  The refusal of an employer, absent undue hardship, to provide 
reasonable accommodation of a religious practice should be seen as a 
form of religious discrimination, as originally intended by Congress in 
1972. And religious discrimination should be treated fully as seriously 
as any other form of discrimination that stands between Americans and 
equal employment opportunities. Enactment of the Workplace Religious 
Freedom Act will constitute an important step toward ensuring that all 
members of society, whatever their religious beliefs and practices, 
will be protected from an invidious form of discrimination.
  Even after September 11, with a heightened sense of religious 
sensitivity among the American people, securing greater protections for 
the religious needs of employees is a major issue. In October 2001, the 
U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from a Muslim woman who 
was pressured by her employer to stop wearing her head scarf. We must 
come together now to pass this bipartisan legislation, which is 
supported by a wide spectrum of religious organizations.
  It is important to recognize that, in addition to protecting the 
religious freedom of employees, this legislation protects employers 
from an undue burden. Employees would be allowed to take time off only 
if their doing so does not pose a significant difficulty or expense for 
the employer. This common sense definition of undue hardship is used in 
the ``Americans with Disabilities Act'' and has worked well in that 
context.
  We have little doubt that this bill is constitutional because it 
simply clarifies existing law on discrimination by private employers, 
strengthening the required standard for employers. This bill does not 
deal with behavior by State or Federal Governments or substantively 
expand 14th amendment rights.
  This bill is endorsed by a wide range of organizations including the 
Agudath Israel of America, American Jewish Committee, American Jewish 
Congress, Americans for Democratic Action, Anti-Defamation League, 
Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs, B'nai B'rith International, 
Central Conference of American Rabbis, Christian Legal Society, Church 
of Scientology, Council on Religious Freedom, Family Research Council, 
Friends Committee on National Legislation, General Board, United 
Methodist Church, General Conf. of Seventh Day Adventists, Guru Gobind 
Singh Foundation, Hadassah, International Assocition of Jewish Lawyers, 
International Commission on Freedom of Conscience, Jewish Council for 
Public Affairs, Na'amat USA, National Assoc. of Evangelicals, National 
Council of Churches of Christ, National Council of Jewish Women, 
National Jewish Democratic Council, National Sikh Center, North 
American Council for Muslim Women, Presbyterian Church, USA, Rabbinical 
Council of America, Republican Jewish Coalition, Southern Baptist 
Convention, Traditional Values Coalition, Union of American Hebrew 
Congregations, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations, United Church of 
Christ, and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.
  I want to thank Senator Santorum for joining me to lead this effort. 
I look forward to working with him to pass this legislation so that all 
American workers can be assured of both equal employment opportunities 
and the ability to practice their religion.
                                 ______