Senate committee advances bill letting franchisees observe sincerely held religious days if contract allows
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Summary
A state senate committee advanced SB138, a narrowly written measure from Senator Roberts that allows franchisees to close on sincerely held religious holidays when such closures are permitted in their franchise agreements; the committee approved the measure on a roll call.
A state senate committee advanced SB138 on Feb. 6, a bill from Senator Roberts that would let franchisees who already have contractual authority to close on sincerely held religious holidays continue to do so when that authority is in their franchise agreement.
Senator Roberts, the bill sponsor, told the committee the measure was intentionally narrow and not meant to change general franchise law. He said the bill responds to a local problem in his district and stressed the limited scope, saying, "It's that simple." Roberts also said he had shared the draft broadly across the state house.
Committee members asked whether the bill arose from a district-specific problem; Roberts confirmed it did. No other committee members raised substantive objections during questioning.
The clerk called the roll on advancing SB138. The following senators recorded "Aye": Senator Butler; Senator Karnley; Senator Hatcher; Senator Hovey; Senator Kelly; Senator Roberts; Senator Sessions; Senator Weaver; Senator Bell; and Senator Coleman. The committee completed the roll call and moved on after the tally.
The committee action on SB138, as recorded in the session, advances the bill out of committee. The transcript does not include the exact motion text or any amendment language; the committee's roll-call tally is recorded in the meeting minutes.