US Congress Senate Bill 1598 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 38-0)
Status: Introduced on June 17 2015 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2015-06-17 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Pending: Senate Judiciary Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [PDF]

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.

First Amendment Defense Act

Sen. Mike Lee [R-UT]	Sen. David Vitter [R-LA]	Sen. Ted Cruz [R-TX]	Sen. Mike Crapo [R-ID]
Sen. Marco Rubio [R-FL]	Sen. James Inhofe [R-OK]	Sen. Pat Roberts [R-KS]	Sen. Michael Enzi [R-WY]
Sen. David Perdue [R-GA]	Sen. Jeff Sessions [R-AL]	Sen. Steve Daines [R-MT]	Sen. Lindsey Graham [R-SC]
Sen. Orrin Hatch [R-UT]	Sen. Tom Cotton [R-AR]	Sen. James Risch [R-ID]	Sen. Bill Cassidy [R-LA]
Sen. Mike Rounds [R-SD]	Sen. Roger Wicker [R-MS]	Sen. Ben Sasse [R-NE]	Sen. Richard Shelby [R-AL]
Sen. John Thune [R-SD]	Sen. James Lankford [R-OK]	Sen. Deb Fischer [R-NE]	Sen. John Cornyn [R-TX]
Sen. John Hoeven [R-ND]	Sen. Johnny Isakson [R-GA]	Sen. Daniel Coats [R-IN]	Sen. Thad Cochran [R-MS]
Sen. Ron Johnson [R-WI]	Sen. Dan Sullivan [R-AK]	Sen. John Boozman [R-AR]	Sen. Thom Tillis [R-NC]
Sen. Richard Burr [R-NC]	Sen. John Barrasso [R-WY]	Sen. John McCain [R-AZ]	Sen. Rand Paul [R-KY]
Sen. Tim Scott [R-SC]	Sen. Jerry Moran [R-KS]

Date	Chamber	Action
2015-06-17	Senate	Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

HB2802 (Same As) 2015-06-17 - Referred to House Ways and Means

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/1598/all-info
Text	https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/s1598/BILLS-114s1598is.pdf