URGENT - Take Action Today!

Urge Your Representative to Oppose House Bill 1063
May 11, 2005

Dear Action Alert Member,

Your call is needed! Please contact your representative in the Illinois House and urge him/her to oppose Floor Amendment #4 to House Bill 1063 when it is called for a vote some time in the next two days. We know that Members of the Illinois General Assembly are poised to vote on the amendment as early as tomorrow. If adopted, Amendment #4 becomes House Bill 1063 - a measure that allows discrimination in hiring on any basis including race and sexual orientation- for religious organizations and secular nonprofits (for example, a hospital or social service organization) affiliated with religious groups.

House Bill 1063 allows both religious organizations and secular nonprofits controlled by a religious organization to practice employment discrimination on any grounds - including race, disability, age, gender or sexual orientation - whenever the discrimination is based on the religious tenets of the religious organization. The tenets of faith of the religious group, however, are not relevant to the hiring decisions of secular nonprofits, many of which receive federal and/or state funding.

You can read more about the legislation on our website at http://www.aclu-il.org/legislative/alerts/hb1063.pdf.

Please contact your state representative by calling the Capitol switchboard at (217) 782-2000 and ask to be connected to his/her office. Urge your state representative to oppose Floor Amendment #4 to House Bill 1063 when it is considered in the full House. If you are unsure, you can find out who your state representative is at http://www.elections.state.il.us/dls/pages/DLSAddresscrit.asp.