Senate Passes Religious Exemption Bill

The Indiana Senate unanimously passed a bill that would allow members of certain religious sects to opt out of workers’ compensation coverage for workplace injuries. The Senate on Tuesday voted 49-0 to pass SB 264, by Sen. Eric Bassler, R-Washington. The bill would allow members of a religious group that conscientiously opposes accepting public or private insurance benefits as the result of an injury, disability or death to file an affidavit requesting not to be covered by workers’ compensation. As part of the opt-out process, the worker would have to verify that the religio...