Thursday, February 18 – Counting to twelve and to four

It’s an unusual position for me to be in.

I’m a liberal. I think government is a force for good. I try to pass bills.

Not this time.

I want to kill any legislation that would make it easier for the state to execute someone.

Last year, when we wanted to pass a bill repealing the death penalty, we had to count to twelve. That’s a majority of the members of the Judiciary Committee.

This, year, the other side has to count to twelve.

We’re working to make sure they can’t.

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I was worried I would refer to the 4th Amendment.

The bill did not require a search warrant.

It required that employers allow their workers to use their leave time to observe the Sabbath.

So I began my testimony by saying: “The 4th Commandment says, ‘Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.’ Our civil rights laws say that an employer must reasonably accommodate employees’ religious beliefs.”