SACRAMENTO – Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. on Saturday signed two bills to promote civil rights and religious freedom, following his remarks at the North American Punjabi Association’s Peace & Unity Rally at the State Capitol.

The rally was held to honor the victims of the Aug. 5 shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.

“Sikh Americans are loyal citizens who have been targeted because of widespread ignorance of their religion and culture,” said Gov. Brown. “The bills I sign today aim to ensure that Californians learn about our Sikh citizens as well as protect all of us from job discrimination based on religious observances.”

AB 1964 by Assemblymember Mariko Yamada (D-Davis) clarifies that the practice of wearing religious clothing or a religious hairstyle as a belief or observance is covered by protections under the Fair Employment and Housing Act.

SB 1540 Senator Loni Hancock (D-Oakland) requires the State Board of Education to consider adopting a revised curriculum framework and evaluation criteria for instructional materials in history-social science.

For full text of the bills, visit: http://leginfo.ca.gov/bilinfo.html .