Here's Sen. Ed Murray's (D-Seattle), statement on SB 5927, the bill that would give business owners the right to deny service to gay customers because of their religious beliefs:

“This bill represents a pathetic attempt to undo basic civil rights protections that were enshrined in law well before the gay and lesbian movement even started.

“We as a society have evolved far beyond finding it acceptable to say who can sit at the lunch counter and who cannot sit at the lunch counter. The whole notion that a business should have the right to discriminate against its customers is abhorrent to us as Americans, and was settled decades ago. The history books are closed on this issue.

“At the beginning of session, Republicans said that all social issues were off the table because the budget was their priority. It takes someone truly shameless to say that in January and then, with three days left in session and without a deal on an operating, capital or transportation budget anywhere in sight, to introduce a bill that goes into our civil rights laws and decides who gets served and who doesn’t get served. Truly shameless.”