The New York State Assembly approved today a statewide Feir Sabbath bill which would give limited exemption to merchants to do business on Sunday.
The New York Legislature enacted a bill last year giving New York City authority to exempt Seventh-day Sabbath observers from the Sunday closing law. The bill approved today by the Assembly would apply to family-owned and operated businesses throughout New York state.
The measure, sponsored by Assembly Speaker Joseph Carlino, Nassau Republican, does not give any person the direct right to do business on Sunday. It provides a defense against prosecution if the operator meets certain conditions, a principle done being that he uniformly keeps a day other than Sunday as his Sabbath.
Howard M. Squadron of New York, chairman of the American Jewish Congress Metropolitan Council, called the bill “a great step forward” for religious liberty and urged the State Senate to also approve the measure.
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