FAITH Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 8353
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-04-16: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Last Updated
- 2026-04-30T20:11:38Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
The Freedom Against Imposed Theology Harms Act (FAITH Act), H.R. 8353, aims to criminalize the imposition of mandatory financial fees, fines, or penalties tied to a person's involvement (or lack thereof) in religious groups, denominations, or organizations, while protecting voluntary donations.
Key Provisions
- New Criminal Offense (18 U.S.C. § 251):
- Prohibits knowingly imposing, collecting, or attempting to collect any fee, fine, surcharge, penalty, or other financial obligation based on:
- Participation or membership in a religious theology, denomination, or organization.
- Refusal to participate or become a member.
- Penalties:
| Amount of Obligation | Penalty | |-----------------------|---------| | ≤ $1,000 | Fine, up to 1 year imprisonment, or both | | > $1,000 | Fine, up to 3 years imprisonment, or both |
- Separately criminalizes denying goods, services, access, or opportunities due to nonpayment of such fees: fine, up to 1 year imprisonment, or both.
- Exception: Allows religious organizations and schools to request voluntary contributions from members for internal use.
- RICO Amendment (18 U.S.C. § 1961(1)): Adds the new offense as a predicate act under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, enabling civil and criminal RICO lawsuits for patterns of such violations.
- Effective Date: 30 days after enactment.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Adds a new section (251) to Chapter 13 of Title 18 U.S. Code (federal crimes).
- Expands RICO by listing this offense alongside others like sports bribery, allowing federal prosecution of organized schemes involving these fees.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Increases workload for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate and prosecute violations; enables RICO tools for broader enforcement against groups.
- Citizens: Protects individuals from coerced payments linked to religion, potentially aiding those in high-control groups (e.g., cults); allows victims to seek refunds or damages via RICO.
- No direct international relations impact.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Individuals: Members or potential members of religious groups facing mandatory fees.
- Religious Organizations: Leaders or entities imposing such fees (e.g., denominations requiring payment for participation).
- Educational Institutions: Religious schools, protected only for voluntary member donations.
- Law Enforcement and Courts: DOJ prosecutors and federal judges handling cases.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Introduces federal criminal penalties for conduct previously unregulated at the national level; RICO inclusion strengthens remedies against repeat offenders.
- Constitutional: May raise First Amendment questions on free exercise of religion (balancing protection from coercion vs. group autonomy) or free speech (regulating financial demands), though the voluntary donation carve-out aims to mitigate this.
- Political: Targets potentially abusive practices in fringe religious groups without broadly restricting mainstream faith-based fundraising.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (1)
Recent Actions
- 2026-04-16: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- 2026-04-16: Introduced in House
- 2026-04-16: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Freedom Against Imposed Theology Harms Act — issued 2026-04-16 — PDF (3 pages)