First Amendment Defense Act
Latest action · Jun 17, 2015 Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJun 17, 2015
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
First Amendment Defense Act
Prohibits the federal government from taking discriminatory action against a person on the basis that such person believes or acts in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction that: (1) marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, or (2) sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage.
Defines "discriminatory action" as any federal government action to discriminate against a person with such beliefs or convictions, including a federal government action to:
- alter the federal tax treatment of, cause any tax, penalty, or payment to be assessed against, or deny, delay, or revoke certain tax exemptions of any such person;
- disallow a deduction of any charitable contribution made to or by such person;
- withhold, reduce, exclude, terminate, or otherwise deny any federal grant, contract, subcontract, cooperative agreement, loan, license, certification, accreditation, employment, or similar position or status from or to such person; or
- withhold, reduce, exclude, terminate, or otherwise deny any benefit under a federal benefit program.
Requires the federal government to consider to be accredited, licensed, or certified for purposes of federal law any person who would be accredited, licensed, or certified for such purposes but for a determination that the person believes or acts in accordance with such a religious belief or moral conviction.
Permits a person to assert an actual or threatened violation of this Act as a claim or defense in a judicial or administrative proceeding and to obtain compensatory damages or other appropriate relief against the federal government.
Authorizes the Attorney General to bring an action to enforce this Act against the Government Accountability Office or an establishment in the executive branch, other than the U.S. Postal Service or the Postal Regulatory Commission, that is not an executive department, military department, or government corporation.
Defines "person" as any person regardless of religious affiliation, including corporations and other entities regardless of for-profit or nonprofit status.
Cosponsors 172
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jun 17, 2015 to Jul 18, 2016, with 57 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-WV | Alexander X. Mooney | Original | Jun 17, 2015 |
| R-MD | Andy Harris | Original | Jun 17, 2015 |
| R-MO | Ann Wagner | Original | Jun 17, 2015 |
| R-TX | Brian Babin | Original | Jun 17, 2015 |
| R-UT | Chris Stewart | Original | Jun 17, 2015 |
| R-NJ | Christopher H. Smith | Original | Jun 17, 2015 |
| D-IL | Daniel Lipinski | Original | Jun 17, 2015 |
| R-VA | Dave Brat | Original | Jun 17, 2015 |
| R-NC | David Rouzer | Original | Jun 17, 2015 |
| R-TN | Diane Black | Original | Jun 17, 2015 |
| R-GA | Doug Collins | Original | Jun 17, 2015 |
| R-CO | Doug Lamborn | Original | Jun 17, 2015 |
| R-AL | Gary J. Palmer | Original | Jun 17, 2015 |
| R-WI | Glenn Grothman | Original | Jun 17, 2015 |
| R-UT | Jason Chaffetz | Original | Jun 17, 2015 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 17, 2015Introduced in House
- Jun 17, 2015Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1598 | First Amendment Defense Act | Identical bill | Jun 17, 2015 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues.
- Administrative remedies
- Charitable contributions
- Civil actions and liability
- Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
- Government lending and loan guarantees
- Income tax deductions
- Licensing and registrations
- Marriage and family status
- Public contracts and procurement
- Religion
- Sex and reproductive health
- Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination
- Tax administration and collection, taxpayers
- Tax-exempt organizations
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jun 17, 2015Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.
