FAITH Act

Key Points

• This bill would make it a federal crime to charge someone a fee, fine, or penalty based on their religious membership or their choice not to join a religious group. It aims to protect people from being financially punished for their faith or lack of it.
• If a person or group tries to collect these fees, they could face up to three years in prison and a fine. The law would also make it illegal to deny someone goods or services because they refused to pay a religious fee.
• The bill includes a specific rule to protect voluntary donations. Religious organizations and schools would still be allowed to ask for and receive money from members who want to give freely for their own internal purposes.
• This proposal would also add these illegal religious fees to the list of crimes used to track and prosecute organized crime. This gives the government more power to go after groups that make a habit of charging these types of fees.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.