Virginia Lawmakers Fix Blunder Involving Sabbath
With just one dissenting vote, Virginia lawmakers Tuesday corrected an embarrassing legislative mistake that gave all workers the right to take Sundays off as a day of rest.
The bill was approved 36-0 in the Senate and 79-1 in the House of Delegates. Gov. Mark R. Warner then signed it into law. The measure took effect immediately because of an emergency clause.
“There was a real feeling of, ‘Oops!’ It is in many ways remarkable that it doesn’t happen more often,” Warner said.
The action came at a rare special session convened by the governor to correct the blunder.
Earlier this year, lawmakers mistakenly revived a Colonial-era law giving Virginia workers Sundays off if they request it and subjecting employers to criminal penalties for forcing someone to toil on the Sabbath.
The mistake alarmed a wide range of businesses with weekend or round-the-clock shifts to cover, such as hotels, factories, stores, utilities and restaurants.
It was supposed to go into effect on the first weekend in July, but was blocked by a judge who issued a 90-day emergency order.
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