49-3-204. Licensing. (1) A state or local governmental agency may not grant, deny, or revoke the license or charter of a person on the grounds of race, color, religion, creed, political ideas, sex, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, or national origin. Each state or local governmental agency shall take appropriate action in the exercise of its licensing or regulatory power as will assure equal treatment of all persons, eliminate discrimination, and enforce compliance with the policy of this chapter. This subsection does not prevent the department of public health and human services from licensing a child-placing agency that gives nonarbitrary consideration in adoption proceedings to relevant information concerning the factors listed in this subsection. Consideration of religious factors by a licensed child-placing agency that is affiliated with a particular religious faith is not arbitrary consideration of religion within the meaning of this section.

(2) The state may not issue or renew a license under Title 16, chapter 4, to an applicant or licensee that excludes from its membership or from its goods, services, facilities, privileges, or advantages any individual on the grounds of race, color, religion, creed, political ideas, sex, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, or national origin. This subsection does not apply to any lodge of a recognized national fraternal organization.

History: En. 64-321 by Sec. 6, Ch. 487, L. 1975; amd. Sec. 13, Ch. 38, L. 1977; R.C.M. 1947, 64-321; amd. Sec. 16, Ch. 177, L. 1979; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 543, L. 1989; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 682, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 16, Ch. 407, L. 1993; amd. Sec. 235, Ch. 546, L. 1995.