Sponsors (26)
Narrows RFRA so it cannot be used to override federal anti‑discrimination, disability, workplace, child‑protection, or health‑access laws, and limits RFRA relief to suits involving a government party.
Official title: Amend the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 to protect civil rights and otherwise prevent meaningful harm to third parties, and for other purposes.
Introduced March 6, 2025 by Cory Anthony Booker · Last progress March 6, 2025
The bill strengthens enforcement of civil‑rights, workplace, health‑care, and program‑benefit protections by narrowing RFRA remedies in private and federally funded contexts, at the cost of restricting federal RFRA relief for religious actors and raising legal, compliance, and administrative burdens for some providers and governments.
People covered by civil‑rights laws (e.g., racial and disability protections) retain those protections even when someone asserts a religious exemption.
Employees — including low‑income workers and those at small businesses — keep entitlement to wages, benefits (including leave), and protections for collective activity despite employers' religious‑based RFRA claims.
Patients (including people with chronic conditions and women) retain access to and insurance coverage for health care items and services even when a provider or entity asserts RFRA.
Religious organizations and individuals (and other private plaintiffs) lose the ability to obtain RFRA relief in many private‑party disputes, increasing the risk that their religious‑liberty claims will fail in federal court.
Religious employers and contractors that receive federal funds may face higher compliance costs, greater liability exposure, and the possibility of losing contracts or grants if they cannot meet nondiscrimination or health‑care obligations.
Faith‑based service providers may need to change how they deliver services or risk losing federal contracts/grants, which could reduce available services for some communities.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Creates a narrow exception to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) so RFRA cannot be used to override federal laws that prevent harm to others — including federal anti‑discrimination laws, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Violence Against Women Act, family and medical leave, child protection laws, employer wage/benefit and collective‑activity obligations, and laws guaranteeing access to health care. It also limits RFRA’s private‑party remedial scope by clarifying that RFRA relief applies only in judicial proceedings involving a government party.