Free Speech Fairness Act
Latest action · Feb 4, 2021 Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
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.
- IntroducedFeb 4, 2021
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Free Speech Fairness Act
This bill permits a tax-exempt organization to make certain statements related to a political campaign without losing its tax-exempt status. An organization may not lose its tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or be deemed to have participated in, or intervened in any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office, solely because of the content of any statement that (1) is made in the ordinary course of the organization's regular and customary activities in carrying out its exempt purpose, and (2) results in the organization incurring not more than de minimis incremental expenses.
Cosponsors 21
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 4, 2021 to Jul 29, 2021; 2 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-GA | Jody B. Hice | Original | Feb 4, 2021 |
| R-LA | Mike Johnson | Original | Feb 4, 2021 |
| R-NC | David Rouzer | Feb 5, 2021 | |
| R-AZ | Debbie Lesko | Feb 5, 2021 | |
| R-SC | Joe Wilson | Feb 5, 2021 | |
| R-VA | Bob Good | Mar 2, 2021 | |
| R-TX | Brian Babin | Mar 2, 2021 | |
| R-PA | Fred Keller | Mar 2, 2021 | |
| R-SC | Jeff Duncan | Mar 2, 2021 | |
| R-SC | Ralph Norman | Mar 2, 2021 | |
| R-TX | Randy K. Weber, Sr. | Mar 2, 2021 | |
| R-AL | Robert B. Aderholt | Mar 2, 2021 | |
| R-FL | Scott Franklin | Mar 2, 2021 | |
| R-OH | Steve Chabot | Mar 2, 2021 | |
| R-KY | Thomas Massie | Mar 2, 2021 | |
| R-OK | Tom Cole | Mar 2, 2021 | |
| R-MO | Vicky Hartzler | Mar 2, 2021 | |
| R-WI | Glenn Grothman | Mar 26, 2021 | |
| R-IN | Jim Banks | Mar 26, 2021 | |
| R-MS | Michael Guest | Mar 26, 2021 | |
| R-TX | Michael Cloud | Jul 29, 2021 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Ways and Means Committee | Referred Feb 4, 2021 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Feb 4, 2021Introduced in House
- Feb 4, 2021Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 167, no. 21, February 4, 2021, page H388.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 949 | Free Speech Fairness Act | Reintroduction of | Feb 4, 2019 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow charitable organizations to make statements relating to political campaigns if such statements are made in the ordinary course of carrying out its tax exempt purpose.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Free Speech Fairness Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Taxation.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Feb 4, 2021Introduced 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; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
