HR 2725 · 118th Congress 2023–2025, ended

Do No Harm Act

Introduced Apr 19, 2023 Originated House Sponsor Robert C. "Bobby" Scott D-VA

Latest action · Apr 19, 2023 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

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.

IntroducedApr 19, 2023
Passed HouseNot reached
Passed SenateNot reached
To the PresidentNot reached
Became lawNot reached

Summary

Do No Harm Act

This bill prohibits the application of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA) to specified federal laws or the implementation of such laws. Currently, RFRA prohibits the government from substantially burdening a person's exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability, except in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest when using the least restrictive means.

Under the bill, RFRA is inapplicable to laws or the implementation of laws that

protect against discrimination or require the promotion of equal opportunity (e.g., the Civil Rights Act of 1964);
require employers to provide wages, other compensation, or benefits, including leave;
protect collective activity in the workplace;
protect against child labor, abuse, or exploitation; or
provide for access to, information about, referrals for, provision of, or coverage for any health care item or service.

The bill prevents RFRA from being used to deny (1) goods or services the government has agreed to provide to a beneficiary of or participant in a program or activity funded by a government contract, grant, agreement, or other award; or (2) a person's full and equal enjoyment of a government-provided good, service, benefit, facility, privilege, advantage, or accommodation.

In order for a person to assert a RFRA claim or defense in a judicial proceeding, the government must be a party to the proceeding.

Cosponsors 196

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 19, 2023 to Oct 25, 2024; 82 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
D-CA	Adam B. Schiff	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-WA	Adam Smith	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-NC	Alma S. Adams	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-NH	Ann M. Kuster	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-CA	Barbara Lee	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-VT	Becca Balint	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-MN	Betty McCollum	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-NJ	Bonnie Watson Coleman	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-CA	Brad Sherman	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-IL	Bradley Scott Schneider	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-PA	Brendan F. Boyle	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-NY	Brian Higgins	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-ME	Chellie Pingree	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-MO	Cori Bush	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-MI	Daniel T. Kildee	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-MD	David J. Trone	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-GA	David Scott	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-MN	Dean Phillips	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-MI	Debbie Dingell	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-FL	Debbie Wasserman Schultz	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-NC	Deborah K. Ross	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-WA	Derek Kilmer	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-CO	Diana DeGette	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-NV	Dina Titus	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-NJ	Donald M. Payne, Jr.	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-CA	Doris O. Matsui	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-OR	Earl Blumenauer	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-CA	Eric Swalwell	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-IN	Frank J. Mrvan	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-FL	Frederica S. Wilson	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-TX	Greg Casar	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-AZ	Greg Stanton	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-MP	Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-MI	Haley M. Stevens	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-GA	Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr.	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-CT	Jahana Hayes	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-MA	James P. McGovern	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-MD	Jamie Raskin	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-IL	Janice D. Schakowsky	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-CO	Jason Crow	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-NC	Jeff Jackson	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-NY	Jerrold Nadler	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-HI	Jill N. Tokuda	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-CA	Jimmy Gomez	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-CA	Jimmy Panetta	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-CT	Joe Courtney	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-MD	John P. Sarbanes	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-NY	Joseph D. Morelle	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-NJ	Josh Gottheimer	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-OH	Joyce Beatty	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-CA	Judy Chu	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-CA	Katie Porter	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-CA	Kevin Mullin	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-CA	Linda T. Sánchez	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-TX	Lloyd Doggett	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-MA	Lori Trahan	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-GA	Lucy McBath	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-TX	Marc A. Veasey	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-CA	Mark DeSaulnier	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-WI	Mark Pocan	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-PA	Mary Gay Scanlon	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-NM	Melanie A. Stansbury	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-IL	Mike Quigley	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-KY	Morgan McGarvey	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-CA	Nanette Diaz Barragán	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-GA	Nikema Williams	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-NY	Paul Tonko	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-AZ	Raúl M. Grijalva	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-NY	Ritchie Torres	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-CA	Robert Garcia	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-NJ	Robert Menendez	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-CA	Sara Jacobs	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-MA	Seth Moulton	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-KS	Sharice Davids	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-OH	Shontel M. Brown	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-TN	Steve Cohen	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-PA	Susan Wild	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-NV	Susie Lee	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-WA	Suzan K. DelBene	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-OR	Suzanne Bonamici	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-TX	Sylvia R. Garcia	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-CA	Zoe Lofgren	Original	Apr 19, 2023
D-HI	Ed Case		Apr 24, 2023
D-FL	Kathy Castor		Apr 24, 2023
D-CT	Rosa L. DeLauro		Apr 24, 2023
D-CA	Tony Cárdenas		Apr 24, 2023
D-NC	Valerie P. Foushee		Apr 24, 2023
D-DC	Eleanor Holmes Norton		Apr 25, 2023
D-CA	Mike Levin		Apr 25, 2023
D-TX	Colin Z. Allred		Apr 27, 2023
D-NJ	Frank Pallone, Jr.		Apr 27, 2023
D-CA	Julia Brownley		Apr 27, 2023
D-FL	Lois Frankel		Apr 27, 2023
D-OR	Andrea Salinas		May 5, 2023
D-MD	Glenn Ivey		May 5, 2023
D-TX	Lizzie Fletcher		May 5, 2023
D-CA	Mike Thompson		May 5, 2023
D-CA	Norma J. Torres		May 5, 2023
D-WA	Pramila Jayapal		May 5, 2023
D-WA	Rick Larsen		May 5, 2023
D-CA	Salud O. Carbajal		May 5, 2023
D-CA	Ted Lieu		May 5, 2023
D-MN	Angie Craig		May 9, 2023
D-CA	J. Luis Correa		May 9, 2023
D-TX	Al Green		May 15, 2023
D-IL	Sean Casten		May 23, 2023
D-CA	Ami Bera		May 25, 2023
D-MA	Ayanna Pressley		May 25, 2023
D-IL	Danny K. Davis		May 25, 2023
D-CA	Jim Costa		May 25, 2023
D-NY	Nydia M. Velázquez		May 25, 2023
D-MI	Rashida Tlaib		May 25, 2023
D-IN	André Carson		May 30, 2023
D-CA	Ro Khanna		May 30, 2023
D-TX	Jasmine Crockett		Jun 5, 2023
D-MN	Ilhan Omar		Jun 12, 2023
D-NJ	Donald Norcross		Jun 13, 2023
D-VA	Donald S. Beyer, Jr.		Jul 6, 2023
D-CA	Jared Huffman		Jul 6, 2023
D-CA	Anna G. Eshoo		Jul 24, 2023
D-NY	Adriano Espaillat		Aug 4, 2023
D-MD	Kweisi Mfume		Aug 4, 2023
D-AZ	Ruben Gallego		Aug 4, 2023
D-PA	Christopher R. Deluzio		Sep 18, 2023
D-VA	Abigail Davis Spanberger		Oct 10, 2023
D-FL	Maxwell Frost		Dec 12, 2023
D-NJ	Andy Kim		Jan 29, 2024
D-CT	John B. Larson		Feb 5, 2024
D-MD	C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger		Feb 13, 2024
D-CA	John Garamendi		Mar 5, 2024
D-NV	Steven Horsford		Mar 21, 2024
D-CA	Raul Ruiz		Mar 22, 2024
D-CA	Mark Takano		Apr 9, 2024
D-VA	Gerald E. Connolly		Apr 16, 2024
D-NM	Teresa Leger Fernandez		Apr 16, 2024
D-PA	Dwight Evans		Apr 18, 2024
D-CA	Scott H. Peters		Jun 12, 2024
D-IL	Bill Foster		Jul 22, 2024
D-CO	Brittany Pettersen		Jul 22, 2024
D-CO	Joe Neguse		Jul 22, 2024
D-IL	Raja Krishnamoorthi		Jul 22, 2024
D-GA	Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.		Jul 22, 2024
D-FL	Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick		Jul 22, 2024
D-MA	Stephen F. Lynch		Jul 22, 2024
D-NY	Timothy M. Kennedy		Jul 22, 2024
D-CA	Juan Vargas		Jul 23, 2024
D-NY	Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez		Aug 2, 2024
D-MO	Emanuel Cleaver		Aug 2, 2024
D-RI	Gabe Amo		Aug 2, 2024
D-CA	Grace F. Napolitano		Aug 2, 2024
D-CT	James A. Himes		Aug 2, 2024
D-FL	Jared Moskowitz		Aug 2, 2024
D-VA	Jennifer L. McClellan		Aug 2, 2024
D-TX	Joaquin Castro		Aug 2, 2024
D-PA	Matt Cartwright		Aug 2, 2024
D-IL	Nikki Budzinski		Aug 2, 2024
D-NC	Wiley Nickel		Aug 2, 2024
D-MA	William R. Keating		Aug 2, 2024
D-NH	Chris Pappas		Aug 9, 2024
D-NY	Gregory W. Meeks		Aug 9, 2024
D-SC	James E. Clyburn		Aug 9, 2024
D-IL	Robin L. Kelly		Aug 9, 2024
D-MI	Shri Thanedar		Aug 9, 2024
D-CA	Pete Aguilar		Aug 16, 2024
D-IL	Eric Sorensen		Aug 20, 2024
D-DE	Lisa Blunt Rochester		Aug 20, 2024
D-VA	Jennifer Wexton		Aug 30, 2024
D-NY	Daniel S. Goldman		Sep 6, 2024
D-NY	Jamaal Bowman		Sep 6, 2024
D-WA	Marilyn Strickland		Sep 6, 2024
D-CA	Maxine Waters		Sep 6, 2024
D-NM	Gabe Vasquez		Sep 9, 2024
D-OH	Marcy Kaptur		Sep 9, 2024
D-NY	Patrick Ryan		Sep 9, 2024
D-NY	Thomas R. Suozzi		Sep 9, 2024
D-IL	Delia C. Ramirez		Sep 10, 2024
D-OH	Emilia Strong Sykes		Sep 10, 2024
D-IL	Lauren Underwood		Sep 10, 2024
D-NJ	Mikie Sherrill		Sep 10, 2024
D-RI	Seth Magaziner		Sep 10, 2024
D-MD	Steny H. Hoyer		Sep 10, 2024
D-MI	Elissa Slotkin		Sep 16, 2024
D-MA	Richard E. Neal		Sep 16, 2024
D-LA	Troy A. Carter		Sep 16, 2024
D-NY	Grace Meng		Sep 18, 2024
D-NC	Kathy E. Manning		Sep 18, 2024
D-PA	Madeleine Dean		Sep 18, 2024
D-PA	Summer L. Lee		Sep 18, 2024
D-OH	Greg Landsman		Sep 20, 2024
D-WA	Kim Schrier		Sep 20, 2024
D-MA	Katherine M. Clark		Sep 23, 2024
D-TX	Veronica Escobar		Sep 23, 2024
D-FL	Darren Soto		Sep 25, 2024
D-IL	Jesús G. "Chuy" García		Oct 22, 2024
D-CO	Yadira Caraveo		Oct 22, 2024
D-CA	Sydney Kamlager-Dove		Oct 25, 2024

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

Chamber	Committee	What it did
House	Judiciary Committee	Referred Apr 19, 2023

Actions 2

Everything that happened, newest first.

Apr 19, 2023Introduced in House
Apr 19, 2023Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

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

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Artile I, Section 8 of the Constitution of the United States. The single subject of this legislation is: To amend and clarify the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993.

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 169, no. 65, April 19, 2023, page H1888.

Printed hearings 1

Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.

Number	Hearing	Committee	Held
Serial No. 118-50	LEGISLATIVE HEARING ON DISCUSSION DRAFT OF H.R., TO PROMOTE AND ENHANCE OUTDOOR RECREATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES AND VETERANS ON FEDERAL RECREATIONAL LANDS, "MILITARY AND VETERANS IN PARKS (MVP) ACT"; H.R. 1786, TO DIRECT THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO SUBMIT TO CONGRESS A REPORT ON THE WARRIOR TRAINING ADVANCEMENT COURSE, TO DIRECT THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR TO ADMINISTER A PILOT PROGRAM TO EMPLOY VETERANS IN POSITIONS THAT RELATE TO CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES, "GET REWARDING OUTDOOR WORK FOR OUR VETERANS ACT, OR (GROW) ACT; H.R. 1829, TO REQUIRE THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE TO CONVEY THE PLEASANT VALLEY RANGER DISTRICT ADMINISTRATIVE SITE TO GILA COUNTY, ARIZONA; AND H.R. 2468, TO REQUIRE THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR TO CONVEY TO THE STATE OF UTAH CERTAIN FEDERAL LAND UNDER THE ADMINISTRATIVE JURISDICTION OF THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF CAMP WILLI61 pages	Natural Resources Committee	Jul 20, 2023

Related bills 1

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

Bill	Title	Relationship	Latest action
S 1206	Do No Harm Act	Identical bill	Apr 19, 2023

Titles 2

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced: To amend the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 to protect civil rights and otherwise prevent meaningful harm to third parties, and for other purposes.
Short Title(s) as Introduced: Do No Harm Act

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

Apr 19, 2023Introduced in House

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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.